The Beginning Of The End
by peskyhumanity
Summary: Post 4x23. A story of gain, loss, and most importantly, love. He's her savior and she's his angel.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So here's a new story! I just had to write it! I was so excited to post this. So… HERE IT IS!**

**I own nothing of The Vampire Diaries. But I do claim ownership of the character Stella.**

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**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

My eyes flash open and I see nothing but black vastness. I try to move my arms but they are restricted by cold metal walls. I kick my feet and it's the same way. I open my mouth to fill my lungs with air, soon to realize the only thing rushing in is the water of the quarry that I was thrown into.

I have no clue how long I have been down here. There is no way to know. When you're at the bottom of a body of water, where no sunlight can reach, how are you supposed to figure it out? After being in here for so long, I have accepted the fact that I am going a tad bit insane. How can you not? Being alone, in a locked box, in the dark, going in and out of consciousness over and over, you start to lose your mind.

I have no perception of time but I figured out that a short while after I was pushed in here, I started to go crazy. I would be knocked out cold and all of the sudden I would think that I hear her voice, or see her smile. I would think she was here to save me, only to be hit with a hard dose of reality when I would violently wake up and the water would fill my lungs again. Repeating the process once more.

It takes a toll on you, when this happens more times than you can count. I… I'm losing it again. My brain is going fuzzy and I can't think straight. I can't fight it. It's an involuntary reflex to just give up, now. I try my best to think of one thing that will keep me calm. Give me serenity, peace… happiness.

So I think of _her._

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My eyes snap open and I suck in air, expecting it to be water. But it comes as a surprise when it is fresh, cool, summer night air. When I move my arms, I can actually stretch them further than a few inches from my own body. My limbs are stiff, but it's a relief to be free.

Wait, am I free? Or is this all a hallucination or maybe it's a dream. That's when I hear a snap come from behind me, making me realize, for the first time, we are in the woods. I turn around and see no one.

"Stefan…" I hear a whimsical whisper come from behind me. I whip around and have to cover my eyes from the sun that shines in my face. Even though it's so bright, it feels amazing. Being in the dark for, God knows how long, to now being bathed in the sunlight.

"Stefan." I hear someone spit out. I turn around and that's when I finally see her. I smile the biggest smile I have felt on my face in the last few months. My first instinct is to go grab her in a hug and spin her around.

So that's exactly what I do.

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**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

I shoot straight up from my lying position and grab my chest, while gasping for air. I can't seem to get air in my lungs, so I start coughing. Finally, as an invisible wall broke, air rushed into my throat, then down to my lungs. I was dreaming about _him_ again. It was different this time, though.

Whenever I see him in the land of my own mind, he's smiling. He's happy and laughing and I can see that happiness spread to his moss green eyes. The sun is always consuming him, making his golden wheat hair glow. And every time I see that beautiful smile, it's directed at me. My dreams make absolutely no sense. They are always about us, sitting in an open field, laughing and talking and just enjoying being near each other. Or they could be in a secluded area of the forest, where there is a small pond only they know about. Laughing and splashing each other, actually being happy.

_But this time, it was dark and gloomy. The skies overhead were gray and rumbling with thunder. Instead of the freshwater of a small pond, it was black water of a large lake. And in the middle of it was Stefan, chained to weights, slowly sinking down to the depths of the unknown. I'm trying to help him, I am trying to run to him but something is holding me back, I can feel their hands on my arms. And when I look up to see who it is, I realized it was the man I was laying in bed next to. Damon. When I looked back to the spot where Stefan stayed struggling, he was gone. Almost as if magic was involved, in a matter of seconds he was laying in front of me, unconscious. _

"_Please let me help him." I say as I look up to Damon. "He needs help!" I yell, as he releases my arms and I fall forward almost landing on Stefan. I sit on my knees and hold a hand to his face. It's cold and feels like stone. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes as I move my face closer to his and plant a gentle kiss upon his lips. As I start to turn away, he coughs, water coming up with it. I rush over to him and set his head on my lap as all the water comes rushing out of him. When he finishes, he sets his head down on my legs, and I feel him relax. _

Then I woke up.

And I woke up next to the man keeping me from saving his brother in that dream. Sure, Damon was fun to be with. But it started to get old. Always the same thing with each other, feeding and sleeping together. Not having any meaningful conversations, and he hasn't even taken me out on a date. Sitting here, the only one awake, I can admit that I-.

My thought is interrupted the sound of a door opening and closing. No, not just closing, but slamming. Making the whole house shake on its foundation. I can tell it awoke Damon, because beside me he started to stir. I can also hear the shuffle of other people staying in the Salvatore Boarding House. Right now Damon, Caroline, Tyler, Rebekah, Matt, and myself occupy it. After Klaus let Tyler return to Mystic Falls, him and Caroline have been inseparable. But lately Care just seems off. Rebekah and Matt started staying here after they came back from their summer vacation. And I guess that decided to be more than just friends, because they announced they were dating as soon as they walked in the door, fingers linked with the others.

"I know everyone in this house is a vampire, so you all better get your asses downstairs and in the living room!" I hear an unfamiliar, female voice speak to all of us. I look over to Damon and he just shakes his head and starts to get out of bed to get dressed.

"Damon, what's going on?" I ask him as I follow suit and grab my jeans to put them on.

"We need to get downstairs." He says before he goes into his closet. He then comes out in a shirt and says, "Now."

After I finished putting on my clothes we headed downstairs. He grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers as we started toward the living room. We walk in and everyone is already there, along with a girl that I do not know, but she can't be more the fifteen, maybe sixteen. She looks over towards Damon and I, shoots us a disgusted look and points for us to sit down on the couch.

"I want one of you to tell me where Stefan Salvatore is, right now." She demands, looking from face to face.

"He went out to feed, I heard him leave this morning." Damon spoke up and tightened his grip on my hand. The girl laughs at hearing this and then starts to pace back and forth.

"Oh, Damon. Damon, Damon, Damon. I am very ashamed of you. You can't even tell the difference between your own brother and an imposter." She says quietly, trying to keep calm. "Because if you knew anything about your brother, you could see that the person who has been living here, is in fact, not him, but Silas. Stefan's _doppelganger._" She says the last word slowly, and drags it out so it feels like an eternity before she finishes.

My jaw drops. Stefan? A doppelganger? And he's Silas' doppelganger! The girl draws my attention back to herself when she starts to speak again.

"So let me ask _one_ more time. Where. Is. Stefan?" She says, taking slight pause after every word. She looks over at Rebekah and Matt, they shake their heads. Then to Caroline and Tyler, they, of course, shake their heads. And she should believe Caroline, her and Stefan are best friends, if anyone knew where Stefan was, it would be Caroline. Finally she looks to Damon and I, we both shake our heads. She lets out a loud guffaw and starts to speak, "Well that's too bad. Because I do know where he is. Or where he has been for the past three months, would put it into better words. Would all of you like me to educate you on the whereabouts of Stefan Salvatore lately?" She asks, not caring if any of us answer her, she begins. "He has been… locked in a safe… at the bottom OF A FUCKING QUARRY!" She bellows and I can feel her scream rumble through me, all the way to the core.

All the air rushes out of me, Stefan, drowning, over and over again. Is that what that dream was about? Telling me to help him. I have to help him. I untangle my hand from Damon's and get up to walk out of the door.

"Sit down!" She yells and with a flick of the wrist, I am flying back onto the couch. She's a witch?! What the hell? Damon sets his arm around my shoulder, as a protective instinct and pulls me closer.

"But here's the real question. Who did it?" She says and looks around once again for someone to answer. "Miss. Mikaelson," She begins and I can see Matt tighten his grip on her hand, "I do recall that Stefan has dumped you twice. Well, you can't really call a one-night stand dumping. So, did you do it?" She asks Rebekah, walking toward her.

"No, I didn't. Why would I want to? Stefan's a good guy." She answers, straight and simple, to get to the point.

This girl then points her finger at Matt and squints her eyes, just a bit, "You're a human, so you couldn't have done it." Then she turns to Caroline and Tyler, just as Caroline is about to speak, this girl cuts her off. "You were out of town," She points to Tyler, "So you couldn't have done it. And you're his best friend. So that rules you out, also." She says, as she points to Caroline. "That leaves you two. You do realize how suspicious this looks, don't you?" She tells Damon and I. Before I can even blink, she's in front of Damon with her fingers wrapped around his throat. Wait, what? She's a vampire… I thought she was a witch. None of this makes sense.

"Was it you? His own brother." She says with a cold tone, her fingers tightening their grip around his neck. He has his hands wrapped around her wrist, trying to get free. I move to help him but then she shoots me a death glare and hisses, "Sit down." Then she turns her attention back to Damon, "You were worried, that if he ever came back, she would run straight into his arms, and leave you in the dust. That's the reason, isn't it?" She asks while whispering, I can see her fingers digging into the sides of his neck, drawing blood. "ISN'T IT!" She screams at the top of her lungs, causing both Damon and I to recoil away from her. "I've had enough of you." Then _snap_, and Damon goes limp next to me. She broke his neck! Who the hell does she-, my thought is cut off by the need for air. I can't breathe, I move my hand to my neck, examining it to see if I feel a hand, but I don't. I look up and I see her holding a hand out towards me, with her palm aimed toward my chest.

"Maybe it was you, now that I think about it. Everyone assumes you're an innocent little girl. But, I know the truth, you broke him, Elena. You wore him down until he was nothing. So maybe you did it. After you picked Damon, you didn't want to change your mind, even though deep down, your _heart_ wanted to. So you got rid of the other choice, didn't you?" She says while walking towards me. I am shaking my head no and trying to get words out, but they wont come. I can see the black fuzziness at the edge of my vision, threatening to take me with it. Then all of a sudden, the pressure is gone and I start coughing, forgetting how to breathe. I fall to the floor, landing on my knees with a hand pressed to my chest. Finally, I gulp down air and regain my composure.

"You can come in now." She says to no one in particular. Then I hear the door open and I see him for the first time in months. And he looks different, darker, angrier. "Sit," She says, as she moves her and in a swaying motion, and a chair comes sliding right behind Stefan. He slowly lowers himself down into the wooden chair and scans the room. Starting with Rebekah, flashing a barely visible smile, then Matt, tilting his head a bit. Moving his way to Tyler, giving a slight nod. Then to Caroline, who has an ear to ear smile plastered on her face, and he returns the smile and I can see it spread to his eyes. He then looks to Damon and I swear the color washes out of his face. _Oh goodness, please don't look at me._ I pray to myself, looking down. And when I finally look up, his eyes instantly connect with mine. I want to pull away, but I can't find it in me to break this contact. Finally, he pulls away and looks up to the girl.

I realize I am still on the floor, so I get off from my hands and knees and sit down on the couch. Everyone is silent for a few moments until Damon starts to stir beside me. He groans a little, and rubs his neck trying to decipher what just happened. After he took inventory of the situation he turns his look to the right and speaks, "Well hello, brother." And within seconds, Stefan has Damon pinned to a wall, with a hand around his neck.

"Don't you dare, _'Brother,'_ me. I have been locked in a damn box, for…" He turns his attention back to the girl, standing quietly with a smirk on her face, "What day is it, darling?" He asks with a completely different tone towards her.

"August twenty-seventh." She replies to him, finding entertainment out of the situation. I can hear Stefan sharply inhale a breath of air, while trying to keep calm.

"For almost three months. I have been drowning, over and over again. Falling in and out of consciousness, while you have probably BEEN FUCKING THE GIRL THAT I LOVE!" He shouts, making me shake from the inside out. "Yeah, I said it! And I probably sound like an idiot because I still love her, but I can't help it! So say I'm making a bad decision for being in love with her, I don't care!" He looks at Damon struggling in his arms once more then turns his look back to the girl, "I want him out of here." She smiles and nods.

"Damon Salvatore, you are no longer invited in this house." She says, then I look at Damon and he is gripping at his chest. Gaining control of his actions, he uses his vampire speed to rush out the house. As he hits the cement of the driveway I can hear him take a breath.

"What the hell was that?" I say, surprising myself that the words came out.

He turns around and gives me the coldest stare I have ever seen on his face. He starts slowly walking towards me and speaks in a low whisper, "What the hell was that? That was for him not looking for me when I was trapped in a metal box, underneath the water, starving and desiccating for twelve weeks." He is now only a few feet away and I can feel the hate radiating off of him.

"We all thought you left." I say in a barely audible voice. Looking down at the floor and twirling my thumbs nervously.

"_Everyone?_" He asks and I shake my head yes. "I didn't call, I didn't text, I didn't email _anyone_ in this whole town. I didn't visit _once_, and all of you thought I was okay? That nothing was wrong? That nothing could have happened to me?" He says, his voice rising with each passing word.

"We didn't think you would to come back after-," Caroline starts, but as she realizes what she is about to say, she immediately stops. Stefan looks over to her and gives a fake laugh.

"After what? After she broke my heart, right?" He said while pointing to me. "After she shattered it into a million pieces, then my brother stomped on it some more, just to rub it in. Well you're right, I wouldn't have come back. I wouldn't have even stepped one foot into this God forsaken town if I knew she was here. Because every moment of the past four years that I have spent here, was a complete and total waste of my time." He spit out to no one in particular. Well, that one stung a little, but I guess I deserved it.

"Stefan, you don't mean that." Caroline says sympathetically, walking towards him, but he backs away from her. She's trying to break through to him. Of course, he doesn't have his humanity off, but he's full of anger and needs to calm down, because when Stefan is angry, there is no getting him back until he lets out some steam.

"I do, Care. Being in this town has brought me nothing but pain." He says with a defeated tone. "I don't want to feel like this anymore, it hurts too much." I can see the tears gathering in his eyes, and I know Caroline has done it.

"Then don't, Stefan, find something that makes you happy. Then feel that and only that. Do you hear me?" She asks with a hopeful smile, waiting for him to say yes. When he finally nods, the girl tells him to sit down for a minute.

"So I'm just going to ask the question everyone is thinking." Rebekah says, butting into the conversation. "Who are you?" She asks pointing to the girl who called this '_meeting'_ to order. The girl looks at Rebekah and gives a nonchalant smile.

"I'm Stella," She begins then walks over to Stefan, who is sitting down in the chair, and hops onto his lap. Her legs are hanging over one arm of the chair, one of her arms is over Stefan's shoulders around the back and the other the same way, but in the front. She then looks to Stefan's face and gives him an honest smile, to which he returns. Surprising everyone, she lays a kiss on Stefan's cheek then says, "Stefan's sister."

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**A/N: WOAH WOAH WOAH! Did NOT see that one coming. Well actually I did, because I wrote it. Haha, so I hope you guys like this. Not really sure how long this will be, but the idea was floating around in my head. So I had to get it out. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here is chapter two! I was in the car coming home from a weekend vacation and decided to write! I wanted to explain everything, because it seemed like people were confused in the last chapter. So I hope this gives you all a clear mind as to what is going on!**

**I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries. But I do claim ownership of the character Stella.**

**I hope you like it!**

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**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

Now I can see the resemblance, the golden, wheat brown hair, the leaf green eyes, the same perfect nose. I wonder why it never occurred to me, because I never, in a million years, thought that Stefan could have a sister. What does this make Damon? Is he actually related to Stefan? I am just so confused, I don't know what to believe anymore.

I look over to Damon and see shock and surprise all over his face. So obviously he didn't know about this.

"I don't understand." I feel the words slip out of my mouth without even trying. Stefan looks over to me, one of his arms draped across the girl- Stella's lap, and his other is around her waist.

He looks back to the girl and says, "Do you want to explain? Or shall I?" The girl squints her eyes, showing that she is thinking about it. "Please, allow me." She finally says. Stefan allows her to hop off of his lap and pull up a seat next to him. "Everyone sit. This could take a while. Please feel free to ask any questions you like." Then she puts her hair into a pony tail and begins.

"So let's just get the big question out of the way. Damon _is_ adopted. Okay, so now, let's begin. Our mother, is Esther Mikaelson and our father… Giuseppe Salvatore." This gets a gasp out of Caroline, who is now hanging on to Tyler's hand as though her life depended on it. "Obviously, Esther was known for her various affairs, one that made Niklaus, and two that made Stefan and I. Giuseppe, our father, used to be a vampire." As she says this I can see the color wash out of Damon's face. "But you all know, that he was human when he died. Well our mother was The Original witch as you all know, which made her very powerful. So she cast a spell to turn our father human again." I turn my head to look at Rebekah and she looks enthralled in this story, indicating she knew nothing of it. That's when I see Tyler's hand raise up.

"So how old are you two exactly." He asks. Stella looks over to Stefan and smiles, not lovingly but as if mocking him. "Even though it doesn't look like it, I am, in fact, older than Stefan." She says through a laugh, "He was born on September 7th, 1472 and I on July 31st, 1467. So, Stefan is 540 years old and I am 546. We're a bit old." She says with a smile, directed toward Stefan, to which he warmly returns. "Anyway, back to the story," She begins but Damon cuts her off. "Wait a minute, can I please get some answers. Like why was I adopted or who my real parents are." He says all in one breath. I look over to Stella and she has an expression full of pure hate on her face. "Fine. No one could know that I was alive. I was born half witch and half vampire. As you know, a witch is supposed to balance out nature and a vampire is an abomination to nature. So I was basically sentenced to death the moment I came out of my mother's womb. When a witch came to _collect_ me, my mother begged her with everything she had to let me live. And she did, but on one condition… you have to take a vampires life, a vampire whom you care for very much, too balance out the difference, and that was my father. But you see, my mother couldn't, she loved him too much to just let him die. So she turned him human, but not a normal human, an immortal human, who could only be killed by his own spawn. Esther knew Stefan and I cared for our father with everything we had, so we would never hurt him. Then she put me into hiding as well as my father and Stefan. Many, many years later after hiding was no good anymore, they, as in Stefan and my father, moved to Mystic Falls. Everyone knew Giuseppe had two children, and there he was about to show up with only one. That's where Damon comes in, he was a replacement for me. By this time Stefan was becoming a pretty good vampire, so he was able to compel Damon into believing he was part of this family and educated him on everything he needed to know." She finishes and I finally realized Damon grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I look over to Stefan and his head is down, showing he is ashamed of what he has done. Damon's fingers are squeezing harder on mine and I can't take it.

"Damon, that hurts." I whisper in his hear, I get Stefan's attention because his head snaps up. But Damon's pressure on my hand keeps increasing, "Damon, let go." I say with a pleading tone. Before I know it Stefan is in front of Damon, inches away from his face, "If you want to hurt someone because you're upset, hurt me. Not her." He says in a low voice. "Okay then." Damon replies, then he's across the room with his hand around Stefan's throat, then I hear a thud and a groan from Stefan. I walk over and Damon has his hand pressed into Stefan's chest. _Oh no,_ I think to myself.

"You little bastard. You have been lying to me for one hundred and forty-five years. What is it that keeps me from tearing your heart from your chest?" Damon says up against Stefan's ear. He backs up and Stefan looks straight into Damon's ice blue eyes and says, "Nothing." _Stefan, what are you doing?_ I say to myself. Because both him and I know Damon will follow through with this. I look around the room and everyone is on their feet, everyone except Stella, who is sitting perfectly straight and saying nothing.

"So why don't you do it, Damon? You have posed all these threats against me but haven't followed through… with- with one of them. You think you're all bad but the truth is you're scared and alone. So go ahead, rip my heart out. Then you'll lose one of the only people who actually cares about you." Stefan says with difficulty.

"Boys, boys. Please no fighting during my story." Stella finally enters the conversation. "Shut up, Stella." Damon retorts while staring at Stefan. "Now, now, Damon, that's no way to talk to a lady." She says before walking up next to Damon and grabbing his arm that is around Stefan's throat, then slowly tears his fingers from their hold and starts to twist. Then I start to hear cracking and all of the sudden, Damon's arm is twisted behind his back, and I know it's broken. Stella lets go of his arm and he drops to the floor.

"Now if everyone can please return to their seats, so I can continue." Stella says, leaving Damon on the floor and going back to her chair. I decide to go out on a limb and ask a question. "How do you know Damon, then? I mean, he obviously recognized your voice this morning, but he didn't know you were Stefan's sister." I say, turning everyone's attention towards me. "Yes, I have been introduced to Damon before, but as Stefan's friend, Stefan's scary friend. I always like to emphasize my short temper when I meet people, so that's why Damon acted the way he did this morning after he heard my voice. Because he has been on the receiving end of one of my temper tantrums. Now I would like to get back to my story." She says.

"Wait, so since you can compel other vampires, does that make you two Originals?" Rebekah asks, while raising her hand a bit. "We're sort of half Original vampires, now I am going to continue. After Stefan and father went into hiding, Stefan changed dramatically. They had no clue what was going on, and that's where Silas comes in. We figured out that Silas had access to a witch on the other side that created Silas' shadow self, or doppelganger, which happens to be Stefan. Since Silas was desiccating, and Stefan and he were connected somehow, that made Stefan's blood lust much stronger, which was basically, in a way, feeding into Silas, keeping him from completely dying. I have known for a long time that Stefan and Silas are doppelgangers. Witches, both dead and alive, talk. It just has never been an issue until now because Silas hasn't been roaming this earth for quite some time, so he has never been a threat before. That basically wraps up the Stella and Stefan story. Does anyone have any questions?" She asks with finality. No one says anything, we all just kind of look around at each other. Until Stefan speaks up, "How did you know where I was?" He says while looking directly at Stella.

She takes a breath and begins, "Well, I figured out that you were in Mystic Falls, so I decided to come visit. When I got here I was walking around town and saw you by The Grille, so I went to talk to you and… I don't know, you're my brother I knew something was off. What really tipped him off was that when we said goodbye, _he_ didn't do our handshake. And you know how we end every conversation with our special handshake. So as _he_ was walking away, I did that little mind-digging thing that I can do, and I figured out where he dumped you. Then I thought, what the hell, I should probably save him." This gets a laugh out of Stefan, which I have missed so dearly. But then a thought pops in my head, she can read minds, which probably means she has scanned everyone's head in this room. So she knows what I'm thinking. _Shit, _I say to myself. I need to get out of here, then I say something that is probably the worst decision in my entire life, "Stefan, can I talk to you, in private?" He looks straight into my eyes, and nods. As he starts to get up, Stella puts an arm out stopping him, "It's okay, Stell. I'll only be a minute." He says, using a nickname for her. He then holds out his hand, initiating their handshake.

As we walk out of the living room Stella whispers, "You can't hide anything from me, Elena, especially your mind."

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

I allow her to walk into my room first then I close the door behind us. Stella sent a thought to my head saying she put a privacy spell on my room, indication no one could hear us, which I thank her for greatly. I walk over to my desk and sit in the chair that has been sitting there, empty, for the past three months. I just realize how awkward this silence has become, so I have to break it. "So what did you want to talk about?" I ask her. She looks over to me as if I have broken her out of a trans.

"Um… I'm not really, Uh- sure. I just had to get out of there." She says while nervously twirling her hands. Even though she has no clue what to talk about, I have a pretty good idea of what I want to ask her.

"Did you know… it wasn't me, Elena? Or have four years of knowing each other meant nothing." My voice cracks at the end of my sentence and her head snaps up, our eyes connecting instantly.

"I knew. I knew it wasn't you." She says and I can see tears gathering at the edge of her eyes. "I know you're gonna ask me why I didn't tell anyone, but who was I supposed to tell? Caroline and Tyler were off looking at colleges, Matt and Rebekah were on their summer vacation, Jeremy was making up lost time at school. Damon's basically in a one-sided relationship with himself. I was scared, I didn't know what to do. I was scared and completely alone. And what was I supposed to do against, who I just found out was Silas?" She says, pacing around the room. I move to the couch and motion for her to sit next to me. "Why are you being nice to me? You should hate me." She says through a sniffle.

"I could never hate you, Elena. It was your choice and I respect that, even though I am not happy about it, I completely respect it. But how are you feeling? About your choice, if it's not too much to ask. And think of me as a friend, think of me as Caroline!" I say, getting a smile out of her.

"Oh goodness, okay. Well… are you sure, Stefan?" I shake my head, telling her to continue. "Well, my relationship with Damon. I just don't know what it is. Like, I love him, but sometimes I don't know what goes on his head, or if he knows what a real relationship is. All we do is feed together and sleep togeth-, Crap, I'm sorry." She says apologetically. "Elena, it's fine. Remember, I am a friend." She takes a breath, shakes her head and continues, "We have never had a real conversation, he hasn't even taken me on a date yet, and ever since I told him I love him, he never says it back. Then I get home and he's drunk and incoherent and he grabs me and I just, can I stop, please?" She asks me and I tell her yes.

"Why are you so amazing? You are acting so calm about all of this. How did you sit through that?" She asks me. I let out an airy laugh and reply, "It took everything inside of me not to lose my control on you, but what good would that do? It's not going to change your mind. It would only be wasting my breath. But, I can go and beat my brother's ass." He says while walking toward the door.

"Stefan, don't." She says, causing me to stop. I turn around and look at her in disbelief, "Are you really going to protect him, Elena? He hurt you, why would you excuse him of that?" I yell at her, causing her to flinch. "Because-," She starts, but I cut her off, "Because you love him? Because he was drunk? Because he didn't know what he was doing? Those aren't excuses, Elena. You're just protecting him for something that he should be punished for." I bellow, making her back away from me. "Elena…" I start but she intervenes, "No, Stefan. You obviously needed to get that out. But can I ask you something?" Reluctantly, I nod my head yes. "Downstairs, when you said you still loved me, were you lying? Because not even 6 months ago, you said you weren't in love with me anymore. And I am just so confused." She says putting a hand to her forehead.

"I was telling the truth, Elena. All those months ago, I was hurt and in pain and I just wanted to make you feel how I felt." I tell her, spinning my ring of my finger. "How did you feel… Stefan?" She says walking closer to me. "I felt… I felt used, and cheated, and miserable, and I just- I didn't want to be me anymore, if that makes any sense. I wanted to be someone else. Because if I was someone else, I could just be Stefan Salvatore, I wouldn't have a brother, I wouldn't have lost the girl that I loved in 1864 and I wouldn't have lost you, Elena. If I was someone else, we would live _"Happily Ever After" _in the town of Mystic Falls, and we would be known as, Stefan and Elena, the two love-drunk teenagers who have been together since high school because we wanted to prove people wrong when they said our relationship wouldn't last. But it wasn't a challenge or a task, to be together, it would be as easy as breathing. If I was someone else, we could have little children running around in the front yard, grow old, and die. Then we would be buried with each other. Because even death couldn't separate us. So I just wanted to be someone else, in that moment, because then I wouldn't have lost you." I say, on the brink of tears.

Then maybe, just maybe, I heard Elena whisper something. I could barely make it out, but I'm not sure if my head is playing tricks on me. Because just for a second, I believed Elena Gilbert said, no, whispered, barely audible, "You haven't lost me."

* * *

**A/N: What did you all think of chapter two? Leave your reviews and comments because they are all appreciated. A lot of people asked for a Stefan and Elena conversation which was terribly hard for me because I didn't want it to end in sunshine and rainbows. But don't expect Stelena to be back in my story just yet. Not to burst anyone's bubble but I am warning you. But please continue to keep reading! I have seven more days of school then I am all your's and I will be able to write more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey y'all! So, I'm not sure how long it has been since I updated this fan fiction but I don't think it's been that long! But I wanted to give you a long, wonderful chapter. This is really a filler chapter except for some bombshells at the end. And I did put a little Italiano in there. I tried to answer the questions or statements that people said in Italian without actually giving a translation. I just didn't want to leave you hanging and let you fend for yourself. But I really, really like this chapter and I had so much fun writing this. I worked two days on this chapter, and I really hope you like it. So hear you go.**

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

As soon as Elena leaves the room I hear Stella's pitter-patter footsteps coming up the stairs. I'm guessing she heard everything because her own privacy spell doesn't work on herself. Sometimes it's good having such a protective sister and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes I just want to be left alone, but with her, she always pries and tries to find out what I'm thinking and feeling.

She slowly opens the door and peeks her head in before she lets herself in all the way. She saunters towards me with a sad expression on her face, indicating she heard it all.

"I'm guessing you heard what happened." I say with a sad smile. She walks over to me and tries to grab my hand, but I pull back. "I don't want to talk, Stella. Just please leave me alone." I throw over my shoulder as I open the doors in my room and move out onto the widow's walk. I put my hands on the railing and close my eyes, inhaling a deep breath and dropping my head back.

"Stefan," She starts, but I don't let her get any further because I hop over the metal bar and fall down to the ground, landing on my feet and using my hands for support. I start walking towards the forest and I can hear Stella shuffling around in my room, heading for the balcony that I was just on.

"Stefan Antonio Salvatore, do not walk away from me when I am talking to you!" She yells down to me, sounding like my mother. But I don't listen to her. I want to get away from here, and now. I don't want to be near this house for one more second or I'll go insane. I try taking another step, but my foot won't move. I look up to see if something is constricting my movements but there's nothing there. I look over my shoulder, back up to Stella, and of course, she's holding out her hand. Damn her, and her magic. I turn all the way around and throw my hands up in the air, showing I surrender.

She flashes a smile, then puts her hand down and straightens out her shirt. She then follows suit and jumps to the ground and walks over to me.

"You can't run from your problems, mio fratello." _My brother_, I think to myself. I remember when Damon used to call me that. Now whenever I think of those times, a huge wave of guilt floods into my system.

"No, but I can avoid them for as long as I try, mia sorella." I tell her as I turn my back and start to walk away, but she grabs my arm and stops me.

"Evitando loro vi fara sentire meglio, Stefan." She starts speaking to me in our native tongue of Italian, probably because she doesn't want people to hear our conversation that we're about to have. She goes to grab my hand but once again I pull away and avoid the physical contact.

"I don't care about feeling good!" I yell at her and she gives me a confused look, so I continue. "If I care about what or how I feel… I'll just end up getting hurt again, Stella. Can I ask you a question?" She nods and I turn away from her, facing the boarding house, where I can see Elena through the kitchen window. I hear Stella clear her throat, indicating she's waiting for me to start.

"Why can't I be selfish, Stella." I say in a barely audible voice. "Why do I always have to do the right thing. Just once, why can't I do something that's wrong but do it anyways just because it's good for me. Because it makes me happy." The tears start to gather in the corners of my eyes and I pause to take a breath. "For some odd reason, I have it programmed in me to put other peoples needs before my own. And since that's engrained in me… I'm always the one to get hurt." I bend down and pick up a rock the size of a golf ball, "Why can't I be goddamn selfish?!" I throw the rock at the side of the house and it shatters, showing my vampire strength. I look back up to the window and I see Elena's looking straight at me. I turn around and look back at Stella.

"You can't be selfish because it's not who you are. If you become selfish, you'll lose something that everyone loves about you. You'll lose something that makes up your whole being." She says sympathetically.

"People only love that about me because it always benefits them." She looks at me with a quizzical look, telling me to give her an example. "When Elena left me, for my asshole of a brother, I held up our end of the deal by leaving and letting them be together. I was selfless and let them be together even though it was literally ripping me apart from the inside out.. But no, I was doing the right thing just like I always do." I tell her in a sarcastic tone.

"What deal, Stefan?" She asks, moving towards a bench that is close to the backyard.

"A deal I made with the devil, Stell. Damon and I promised each other, that who ever Elena didn't choose, would leave town and let the other be with Elena, be happy together. And you know what, Stella? She picked me, Elena picked me, and for once, I felt like it was over, that I finally had her to myself, that I didn't have to vie for her affection anymore. Can you guess what happened? He stayed. That selfish, son of a bitch stayed. Because he couldn't accept the fact that she chose me. He just had to keep pursuing her, over and over again. And it's just not fair, Stella." At this point I didn't try to keep the tears from spilling onto my cheeks.

"Lei, ami davvero non ti?" She says to me, and I immediately start shaking my head yes. I can't help it but I do. I've tried to stop, but I just can't.

"It may be stupid because I still do. Because of all the shit she has done to me. But I'm no better, I brought all of this supernatural into her life. But your answer is yes, Stella, I do still love her. More than you can imagine, hell, maybe more than you may ever know."

"Amore mio, stanno per avere a lasciarla andare prima o poi." She says to me sympathetically. I look back up at the window where Elena was standing and she still remains there I swivel back to Stella and look down at my feet.

"I know I should let her go, Stella, but I can't. I love her too much just to walk away." I tell her and she flashes a big, winner's smile on her face. "What?" I snap at her and she starts to laugh.

"Stefan Salvatore, you just did something selfish." I think about it for a moment and realize that I did. It may be selfish that I can't let her go, but I don't care, because it's what I want. I throw my head back and erupt in laughter.

"You are one hundred percent correct, Stella. I finally did something selfish, and the bad thing is… that it feels amazing." I tell her and she laughs at me. Then she walks toward me and loops her right arm through my left one.

"Take a walk with me?" She asks and I nod my head.

"Where are we going?" She looks at me and laughs. Then puts on a thinking face, obviously putting thought into her answer.

"Over the river and through the woods," She repeats the lyrics of my favorite Christmas song, even though the winter season isn't for another few months. "I want to tell you something." She finishes.

* * *

**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

I know I shouldn't follow them, but I just can't help myself. I need to know why Stella is being so secretive with Stefan.

Obviously, I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't hear Stefan's confession, because I did. And honestly, I feel like a complete bitch, because he's right. He's always the one to get hurt, always the one to put everyone else before himself. What happened the last time he was selfless? Oh yeah, he was trapped in a metal box for three months. But then I witnessed something. I witnesses Stefan being selfish. Only if it was for a moment, I saw it. And you know what? He was selfish with me. I don't deserve that. He should hate me. He should want to destroy me. Make me feel the pain that he felt, over and over again, whenever I broke his heart. God, why can't he just hate me?

Then, of course, I heard the news about this deal Stefan and Damon made with each other. Telling the truth, I'm a bit pissed at Damon. He talks about being noble an humble, but yet, here he is, not telling the truth about the deal, making his brother's life a living hell, and complaining like a baby when he doesn't get something he wants. And Stefan's right, I chose him, and Damon stayed. He stayed and weaseled his way into mine and Stefan's relationship once again. God, why am I so stupid? Why didn't I see this before? All Damon wants is what's best for him, he never gives two shits about anyone else, especially not his brother. Stefan would do anything for Damon, he would give up his own life for his brother, and he has, more times than I can count. But yet, I was blinded by adventure and pure lust because of Damon, and couldn't see past that to who the true, correct, perfect choice for me. I remember what the first few weeks of Damon and I's relationship was like…

_We finish feeding and hide the body in the woods nearby and assume that the animals will finish it off. But I'm not so sure. We are getting too cocky with the feedings and, soon, we aren't going to be able to tie up loose ends. And by we I mean Damon and I. _

_He pulls me back into reality when he grabs my hand and pulls me towards his body so our chests crash. His hand then goes to my waist and his lips to mine, grabbing my attention in and reeling my senses with a passionate kiss. I can't explain what it feels like to kiss Damon. It's really hard to describe, but just imagine… jumping off a cliff and the feeling you get when you're airborne. Or when you're feeding on someone, and the rush you get when the blood enters your system. Maybe even when you watch a new action movie, and you're sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation. Take all those feelings and combine them. That's what it feels like to kiss him. But I can tell something is missing. I don't know what, but it's something. Love, caring? That can't be, I know Damon loves me, just like I love him. _

_I pull away and he opens his eyes, I look straight into his icy blue orbs and say, "Tell me you love me." He just stares back for a minute and then brushes the comment off like a piece of dust and continues kissing me. This has happened every time I asked. He won't say it, hell, he didn't even say it when I was standing in the room with him that one night. Telling him I chose him over his brother. And now I'm suspicious. Why won't he say it back? _

_I remove my lips from his and run away and out of the woods, towards the direction of the boarding house. I get to the front door and inside, and before long Damon has joined me. Just sitting there staring at me, he starts to move forward, but I back away._

"_Why won't you say it, Damon?" I ask him with a sad tone to my voice. I look down at my hands and begin to twirl my thumbs._

"_I don't know." He replies to me. For some reason, this answer infuriates me. It gives me an anger that begins in my core and spreads to the tips of my fingers and toes._

"_Why the hell not? I have told you more times that I can count and you can't say it once? Please give me a good fucking reason why!" I yell at him, and his face is taken over by a cold, hard look. He just stands there saying nothing._

"_You said it so easily to me when I was a human. When you could COMPELL me to forget it. Why can't you be a man and tell it to me now? Why is everything so different now?" I shout at him and back a few feet away from him. _

"_Because Stefan isn't here!" He bellows towards me. Why the hell would it matter if Stefan was here? I try to say something but he cuts me off, "I'm done talking about this." Then he walks away._

_As I say once again, why would it matter if Stefan was or wasn't here?_

I'm pulled out of my own though when I don't hear Stefan or Stella's footsteps any longer, deciding it's time that I should actually leave the house and start to follow them. I walk downstairs and pass Rebekah and Matt who are holding each other's hand like their lives depend on it. Then I see Caroline on one couch using her phone and Tyler's nowhere in sight.

I open the door to the driveway and Damon is sitting on the ledge under the awning. He hears my footsteps then looks up and smiles. I don't return it and his smile instantly fades. He walks over and tries to kiss me but I turn my cheek and start to walk away.

"What's wrong?" He yells in my direction and I let out an airy laugh. I shake my head and continue walking, "I don't want to talk about it." I throw over my shoulder and head into the woods.

* * *

As I get closer to Stefan and Stella, I start to hear their voices. And before I know it, I find them in a clearing, sitting on the luscious green grass. I decide to stay where I am because they haven't detected that I'm here yet. Even though it's quiet, I can still make out what they are saying.

"What do you mean this is all a game?" Stefan asks Stella, who looks very uncomfortable with the situation. She tilts her head side to side, cracking her neck, then looking back at Stefan and taking a breath.

"Damon. Him coming back to Mystic Falls. Him being with Elena. All of it's a game, Stefan." She says in one breath and I feel all of the air rush out of my lungs. I can't breathe and I really need to. My throat is burning and my lungs are screaming for air by now and my mind has gone fuzzy. When I hear Stefan's voice, I find the ability to breathe again and turn my attention back towards them.

"I don't believe you." Stefan whispers. "This can't be true. Damon wouldn't do that to her," He's yelling now.

"Stefan, you obviously don't know Damon as well as you think you do." She says and gets up off of the ground, just like Stefan has. "He is a manipulative, selfish, impulsive…" I can't stand this anymore, them talking about Damon like that. I really shouldn't make my presence know but I have to.

"Do _not_ finish that sentence." I say running out of the brush and into the clearing where they are standing. Stella looks at me like I am giving her a challenge then turns back to Stefan.

"Crazy, son of a bitch, girl-stealing," That's when Stella looks at me and continues to speak, directed towards me this time, slowly though. "Whore-fucking vampire. Who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself, who only lives, to make his little brother's life a living hell."

"Will everyone please stop calling him my brother!" Stefan shouts, while I am still fuming at Stella, and she gives me a disgusted look.

Not being able to hold my rage any longer, I move my hand as fast as I can and slap Stella right on the cheek. I see Stefan jump forward in a protective motion but Stella waves him off and says that she's okay. Then she turns back to me.

"I'll admit that I deserve that. I was quite a bitch. But I like speaking the truth. Even if it hurts someone's feelings." She pouts at the end and that makes me want to slap her all over again.

"Stella…" Stefan says this more as a warning. He steps forward and grabs her arm, then I look down and see her hand is in a fist, but as soon as Stefan touches her arm, it relaxes.

"You seem pretty calm for a girl who just figured out that her relationship was just a game. Aren't you a little upset? Angry? Sad? Are you going to shed a few tears?" She says to me mockingly, finally I take the whole situation in and allow my eyes to fill with tears.

"It wasn't a game." I tell her while blinking back tears. "He actually loves me and I love him." As this conversation progresses, my whole being is filled with doubt.

"But don't you feel the slightest sliver of doubt, Elena? Has he ever said 'I love you' back, when you say it to him? Has he ever taken you on a date, Elena? Or is the only think that you do is fuck and feed?" She finishes and at this point there are steady streams of tears down my cheeks. "You've wasted three months on someone who doesn't actually love you." She finishes.

"STELLA!" Stefan yells, this time he grabs her arm harder and she breaks our gaze. "That's enough? What the hell is wrong with you?" He asks her and she shrugs her shoulders. "Go. _Now!_" He bellows at her and she crosses her arms over her chest and stomps her feet. He then points to the way they entered the clearing and she exits, out of my sight.

"Elena, I'm sor-" He starts to say but I cut him off, "Is it true?" I ask him. He looks down towards his feet and starts kicking the grass.

"Uh… I'm not sure, Elena." He tells me as he scratches his neck, right where his hair ends. He does that when he's nervous, I started noticing that after we started dating. _But you're not dating anymore, Elena. _I mentally slap myself for even letting a single memory of when we dated cross my mind.

"Do you believe her?" Then I sniffle and clear the tears off of my cheeks. He keeps avoiding my eyes and I'm getting sick and tired of it. "Do you believe her?" I ask him more firmly.

"Yes, Elena, I do!" He says then runs his hands over his face. "She's my sister and she's the one person who hasn't lied to me in my whole life. She's the one person who has been there whenever I fell down and needed someone to pick me back up, to get me back on my feet. She's the one who always believed in me even when I didn't even believe in myself!" His chest is heaving by the end of that, telling me he didn't take a breath through the whole thing. "And you know about the mind-reading thing she can do." He whispers, while pointing to nothing in particular.

"So I basically fucked up my life in three months time, I'm in a relationship where the other person doesn't love me, and I lost probably the most important person in my life." I stop before I can continue, after realizing what I said. I mean I didn't say it to him specifically, I was just kind of rambling on. I pay attention to my movements and realize that I'm pacing. I freeze in mid-stride, playing with my hands, trying to think of something to say, I can't hold it in and I just break down in tears.

I don't know how long I stand there crying before I fall to my knees and put my face in my hands. And I don't know how much longer after that until I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me. I finally let myself go and clutch onto the shirt that I'm laying on and bury my face into the spot between the person's neck and shoulder.

_Home._ A voice whispers in my head. Finally, I don't know how long it takes me to identify the grasp around me that tightens every now and then. But when I finally do, only one name pops into my head, it's not my boyfriend's and it's not my brother's, it's Stefan's.

* * *

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but after a while I decided that I should pull back. And when I look up to him, his eyes are filled with nothing but love. But behind that love is pain and guilt, that I caused.

"Are you okay?" He asks me and I shake my head as I unfist my hands from his shirt and stand up.

"Sorry I crumpled your shirt." I sniffle and give an airy laugh, which he returns.

"It's no big deal. Umm… Do you want to get going?" He asks nervously.

"Actually, can I ask you something? Please." I ask while sitting back on the ground and crossing my legs. I can see him contemplating his decision before he finally sits down in front of me and motions his hands signaling that I can begin.

"Just tell me one thing honestly." He nods, "Tell me that you hate me, please. It would be so much easier." I say and he has a confused look on his face.

"Why would you want me to say that?" He asks me, quietly. Shit, what am I supposed to say.

"I don't know. Just please say you feel something towards me." I can feel the tears breaking out again and I take a deep breath. "I don't care if it's hate, or love, or pity, I just can't be in this world knowing you don't even think about me." I spit out.

"Why do you care if I think about you, Elena?! You're with my brother!" He yells at me.

"Because I don't want to be with your brother!" I scream back with the same ferocity, but immediately want to take back what I said. "I didn't mean that. I- I'm sorry." And with that, I walk away from him, into the woods, and back to the other brother who has been lying to me for three months, maybe even longer.

* * *

I get back to the boarding house and I find Damon still sitting on the cement ledge, but this time, with a bottle of bourbon in his hand, probably courtesy of Rebekah. Just seeing him brings tears back to my eyes and now I'm crying for what feels like the millionth time today.

He turns his head towards me and flashes a smile that instantly fades when he sees my tear. Once I get close enough I hear him start to say something about if I am okay, but he doesn't get to finish that sentence because before my mind know what my body is doing, I slap him across the face and yell, " YOU LIAR!" With tears streaming down my face, I back up with my hand over my chest and heave for air.

"You've been lying to me." I say delicately, choosing my words carefully. More tears fill my eyes and I see Stefan coming up the driveway out of my peripheral.

"Elena…" He begins but I hold up my hand, telling him to stop.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. The deal you made with Stefan, that you broke. The fact that this… whatever this is, has been a game to you. You just wanted the prize, me. All you wanted to do was make Stefan's life miserable, so you took away something that meant a lot to him, just to win a game? A _fucking _game?! Do you even actually love me? Or was that time that you said you loved me, oh so long ago, just you pretending some more?" At this point I'm full on choking for air, and then I see Caroline come out of the house and kneel down beside my now hunched over body. She shoots a few disgusted, disappointed looks toward Damon and I think I even see her flip him off.

"Elena, please." He starts to begin but I don't want to hear his crap.

"Just don't." I choke out. "I'm done with hearing your excuses." Then Caroline picks me up off of the ground and puts her arm around my waist escorting me into the house. But before I can make it all the way inside of the threshold, I say, no whisper, just barely loud enough so he can hear me, "And I'm done with you."

* * *

**CAROLINE'S POINT OF VIEW**

After I got Elena settled in my bed with a nice movie on T.V. and a cup of warm tea, I walk out onto the deck and bring my phone with me, just to check if I have any messages.

I sit in one of the chairs on the back deck then pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen. It reads one new message and my heart flutters with excitement as I unlock the phone and open up my text messages.

_Meet at the pond, in the forest, behind the boarding house, by the little cabin. 10 pm._

I check the time on my phone and it's 9:30. I could have some time to kill but considering how I'm tired and don't want to use my vampire speed, I decide to start walking now because the pond is quite a ways away.

Walking through cobwebs, and mud puddles, and hearing a lot of rustling in the bushes, I finally make it to the pond, and sure enough there is the little cabin, with a light on in a few of the windows, beside it. I walk closer to the little house and then hear something rustle in a bush behind me, so I spin around but nothing's there. I start toward the little house again, and more rustling. This time I slowly turn around, making sure I don't scare off whatever is there. But again, there is nothing to be seen. Not letting myself turn around again, I walk faster towards the back of the cabin, seeing more light coming from there.

Once I enter the backyard, I see a little deck with one table on it and two chairs. There are little paper mache lights hung all around. Then I stop moving when I hear more rustling and freeze when I can hear breathing behind me.

In one swift motion I turn around and then gasp and put my hand over my heart. Smiling instantly because I now know there was never any danger. He looks at me puzzled then says, "Did I scare you?" I hear him laugh and can't contain my own laughter. But his is more sweetly sinister and it's my drug.

"Yes, you did." I say as I walk over to him and put my arms over his shoulders and entangle my fingers behind his neck. I then feel him arms wrap around my waist and pull me into a strong hug.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." He whispers in my ear, and that sends chills down my spine all the way to my toes.

"I know," I smile, "But sometimes you use the element of surprise very well. But let's forget it and restart the evening, well night." I give a girly giggle and this makes him smile. "Hi." I say sweet and short as I set my forehead against his.

"Hello, love."

* * *

**A/N: Holy. Shit. Who could our Queen be with? Any guesses? I mean, it's pretty obvious. But yeah, I'm sorry if you are a Damon fan and are reading this fanfic because I made Damon sound like an absolute douchebag. We had a few confessions from Elena that weren't meant to come out. And we also had brother/sister bonding moments. Ooooh, and we had a tiny bit of tension between Stella and Elena. And what about that big bomb Elena dropped on Damon? Does this mean they broke up? She sounded pretty clear that she was done with him. But I just love Stella and I love writing her. It's so fun, and she is how I would imagine my character on TVD if I had one! **

**But please, please, please review and comment what you think of this chapter! I really hope you liked it!**

**And keep the reviews coming! I have a feeling this story is going to be a good one, not tooting my own horn, I just have a gut feeling. I hope you love it as much as I do!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **

**Hello, my lovelies. **

**I feel like I always make these author's notes long, so this one will be short. I spent about four or five days writing this because I kept getting distracted, but I hope you like it.**

**So, here you are.**

**Chapter four!**

* * *

**CAROLINE'S POINT OF VIEW**

I wake up with a smile and the sun basking through the window on to my face. I look around and realize I'm in a strange bed, wrapped in silky, blood red sheets. I'm dressed in a light blue tank top with lace spaghetti straps and a pair of nude, lacy panties.

I look to my left and there he is, laying on his stomach, his face away from me. His dirty blonde hair is messed up and his arm is lying next to his head on his pillow. He has no shirt on and I see his triangle tattoo on his shoulder blade. I look under the sheets, just to make sure he has boxers on, and thankfully, he does.

I shift positions from my back and carefully set my head on his back, my cheek lying against his skin, and begin to lightly trace random shapes up and down the lengths of his spine. I move my head from its laying position and put my chin on his shoulder blade, still tracing shapes, and occasionally writing my name in cursive.

About twenty minutes later he starts to stir, he flips over and lays on his back while I lean back a little and wait for him to get comfortable, then I lay my head back on his chest. I set my hand on his stomach, feeling his rock hard muscles, and not long after he moves his hand to mine and intertwines our fingers.

"Good morning, Caroline." He says in his sexy British accent, plus morning voice, breaking the silence. I think there is nothing hotter than a guy's morning voice. I can feel his other hand wrapping around my waist and his thumb rubbing circles over my hip.

"Morning, Klaus." I say to him through a smile, then look up to his face through my eyelashes. He dips his head closer to mine and presses his lips against mine. It makes my stomach flip a thousand times over. We've been doing a lot of kissing lately. I mean, I obviously don't have a problem with that though. His perfect, pink, luscious lips are so kissable, I would do it all day if I were allowed.

But that's the thing… I'm not. I'm supposed to be with Tyler. Lately we have just grown apart, and by lately I mean about two months ago. I realized that, after he came back, all I was really in love with was what we had, even though I didn't want it anymore. So one day, I sat down in my bedroom, by myself, and sorted out my feelings for Klaus. And I figured out that I wanted to be with him. His dangerous but caring façade really made my insides do somersaults. Slowly, I found myself wishing that Tyler's eyes were Klaus' bright ones, or that I wished I was pulling my fingers through dirty blonde hair instead of dark brown, and finally I wished that I was kissing a pair of full, dark pink lips instead of thin, pale ones.

I'm pulled back into reality with Klaus asking me a question. "What are you going to do today, darling?" He asks me, he moves his hand that is on my hip and starts pulling his fingers through my blonde tresses.

I take a deep breath then sit up and pull down my tank top that has risen above my bellybutton. "I will probably just hang out with Elena. Her and Damon broke up last night because she found out some interesting information that really changes _everything._" I start explaining while he sets his hand on my thigh.

"Well, that's good. I had never liked them together anyway." He tells me and I laugh, knowing that Klaus has always had a preference for Stefan, so he was very shocked and disappointed that Elena had chosen Damon. "I also heard that Stefan is back from wherever he has been." He says, and I know that I should tell him what happened to Stefan but that would put him in danger because he would go after Silas, and that wouldn't work out to well. I try to hide that I know something but as soon as he looks into my eyes, I can tell that I'm busted. "What is it, Caroline?"

"Well, I don't think that you're going to like what I'm about to say." I start and he nods for me to continue. "We figured out from someone, that Silas locked Stefan in a safe and… kind of pushed him in the quarry. And he was down there for like three months. But don't worry, he's back now and in the boarding house, and he's all safe and sound." I finish with an exasperated sigh. I look down at our interlocked fingers then look back up to his eyes to see a deadly expression behind them. "Klaus, no. Don't even think about it. I know you have this weird, special bromance with Stefan but going after Silas isn't going to do anything but get yourself killed." I alarm him as he starts to get up. He looks back at me then settles back down.

"Fine, only for you." He says, taking my hand back in his and pulling me down so I'm basically laying on his chest. I release a giggle, which makes him smile.

The time passes with us just laying there in a comfortable silence then he says he has to get up, which makes me sad. "How long are you going to be gone?" I ask him in an upset tone, as I get up and start to put my jeans on. Then I step into my socks and my boots and grab my black leather jacket and slip it up my arms then pull it around my torso to make sure it's snug. I finish putting my clothes on, and since he never answered, I go into the kitchen and start making a pot of coffee. While the coffee is brewing I hop up on to the counter, bow my head, and put my hands in my lap.

I hear footsteps walking towards the kitchen and I don't look up when Klaus steps through the doorway. I can feel his eyes on me as he walks towards the counter where I am sitting. "Caroline, will you look at me." I can feel the tears coming, and I am struggling to blink them back. He sets his hands on both of my thighs and starts rubbing them up and down in a comforting manner. "Caroline, please." He says to me and I shake my head no, I don't want him to see me cry. Next, I feel his pointer finger and his thumb under my chin pulling my head up to face him. He sees my tear-stained cheeks and instantly gets a worried look on his face. I start to cry harder and he pulls me into his arms for a hug. I immediately wrap my arms around his neck, bury my face in the little crook between his shoulder and neck, then I start to cry harder than I was a few seconds ago.

"Sweetheart, why are you crying?" I pull back and shrug my shoulders while using my thumb to wipe the tears off my face. "Are you worried about something?" He asks me and I think that is the right question to be asking. Because I am worried. Slowly I shake my head yes and put my hands back in my lap to which he grabs them. "What are you worried about, darling?" He starts rubbing circles over my hands and I know my answer is going to be stupid.

I sniffle once more and then sit back on the counter a little bit more, "I'm worried that one day, you're not going to come back. And I'll be waiting, then you won't be here. You'll have probably found someone else that you l-" I try to continue but I am cut off by a pair of lips, lips that I know so well. He pulls back then looks straight into my eyes, "I would never, _ever_ leave you, Caroline. And as for the last part about loving someone else, that's never going to happen either. I told you I planned on being your last love, and I am sticking to my word." He says to me through a smirk, then moves to get some coffee.

"You never answered my question, you know. How long are you going to be gone?" I remind him as he pours the coffee into the burgundy mug. But deep down, I don't want to know. He could finally finish what he started and have to stay in New Orleans forever, and I don't know how I could handle that.

I have become accustomed to being with him. The travelling back and forth, the late night dates. It's no trouble at all because I _want_ to be with him. I don't know that I am in love with him, just yet, but it doesn't mean that couldn't happen. Because I'm pretty close to it, to saying those three words that I never thought I would say to this man. He used to be terrible and mean and just wanted to destroy everything. Then I finally got down to his core and saw that he is a really sweet person who is capable of love and compassion.

"I'm not sure how long, darling. I will try to make it short as always. Maybe I'll sneak back up here next weekend." He says, while handing me the cup of coffee he made just the way I like it. "But I have to go right now if I want to catch my flight. Are you okay with getting back to the boarding house?" Oh Klaus, always the one to worry about me.

"I'll be fine. Remember how I walked out here in the middle of the night? Wasn't scared then, not scared now." I smile proudly and hop off the counter. I set my mug down and he wraps his arm around my waist and we start walking to the front door. "That's my Caroline. So brave and fearless." He says laying a kiss on my cheek. He then opens the doorsteps out side and walks down one stair. I follow suit but stay on the top step so now we are the same height.

I pull him in for another hug and feel his arms tightly weave around my waist. "I'm going to miss you." I say into his neck. His hand starts rubbing circles over my back and I pull away from the hug to look at him directly. "I'm going to miss you, too, love." He reciprocates to me. He then pulls me in for a chaste but passionate kiss. I smile as he pulls back, because I love the feeling of his lips on mine. He squeezes my hand once more before he starts to walk down the stairs toward a black Mercedes Benz that I didn't see last night.

"Be careful!" I yell to him as he steps in the driver's side, turns on the car, and waves to me before he pulls out of the driveway.

Wow, am I in deep with this guy.

* * *

After shutting everything off at the little cabin in the woods and locking it up, I headed back to the boarding house.

Slowly walking through the threshold and closing the door carefully, I start to walk upstairs. I take off my shoes before walking on the wooden floor. I'm passing the kitchen and am almost to the stairs when I thought I heard a creak. But I bet it was nothing.

"Hey, Care!" I hear Stefan say behind me and nearly jump out of my skin. I hold my hand to my heart and turn around to face a smiling Stefan. "Did I… scare you?" He asks through a laugh. I shoot him a death glare and he holds his hands up in surrender. "Where were you?" He says walking back into the kitchen, and I follow.

"I just went for a walk." I tell him pouring myself another cup of coffee, then sitting at the table where he's already seated. I look up to see him shaking his head with a smile on his face. "I'm telling the truth." I whine.

"No, of course you are." He takes a sip of coffee then looks straight into my eyes.

"Stop it. Stop doing that eye thing." I tell him while covering my eyes with my hand while he laughs. "Fine, fine, you got me." I surrender even though he didn't do anything. "Can you keep a secret?" I ask him, leaning in close.

"Caroline, I have been friends with you for two and a half years. I think I can keep a secret." He tells me while filling his coffee cup to the brim, then sits down.

I tell him all about Klaus. I tell him how I love the way he says my name in the morning after we wake up. I tell him how I love the way he holds my hand while I'm upset. I tell him how I love the way he walks when he has his mind set on something. I tell him how I love the way his nose wrinkles when he laughs. Most importantly, I tell him that I would follow Klaus to the ends of the world if it ever came down to it.

"Wow, Caroline. That's…" He starts, moving to rinse out his coffee cup then puts it in the dishwasher.

"I know it's crazy. You don't hate me do you?" I ask him nervously, moving my index finger in circles on the rim of my mug.

"Caroline, I knew this would happen since the moment you laid eyes on him. It was only a matter of time, and quite honestly, I'm happy for you. He seems to make you happy and that's all it takes for me." He tells me, sitting down and grabbing my hands in his. I give him one of my big, ear-to-ear smiles then lay a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! It really means a lot!" I practically yell, pulling him in for a hug. I then hear footsteps upstairs and pull away. "How is she?" I ask him, moving over to the sink to turn the faucet on so she won't hear us. I then move back to the table to find Stefan with his head down.

"I really don't know," He looks up towards me, "I haven't talked to her since everything happened." He says putting his elbows on the table. Gosh, he loves her so much.

"Why don't you? Go talk to her." I ask him and he releases an airy laugh. "What? Don't laugh at me." I defend myself as he gets up and sits against the nearest counter.

"What would I talk about, Caroline? The way she broke my heart? The way she slept my brother not even a day after we broke up? How my brother is an absolute douchebag for playing her? We have nothing else to talk about, Care." He says pacing the floor in front of me. He has a point, I mean I was no fan of Damon and Elena together anymore than the next guy, but I dealt with it because Elena seemed happy. But who ever knew that this whole thing could have been a game to Damon? There were times when you could have guessed it, but I never thought it would have been true.

"Don't talk to her about that stuff! Talk about how _she's_ doing. How _she's _coping with this. What _she_ misses most about her old life. REMINISCE! That's what you should do. Now, Stefan Antonio Salvatore, Go!" I finish with pushing him out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

_Try to be inconspicuous, Caroline._ I tell myself. Because I have a diabolical plan. And that plan is to get Stefan and Elena back together.

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

I knock on Caroline's bedroom door, to which Elena is staying in, and it immediately opens with a puffy-eyed, tear-stained Elena. She gives me a half smile and tells me to come in.

There is nothing more that I want than to bring her into my arms and say everything is going to be okay. All I want to do is press her lips against mine and feel her arms around my neck. All I want to do is be able to wake up next to her. All I want to do is get out of this Godforsaken town and take her with me, be able to hold her hand in public without my brother down our throats. All I want to do is be able to tell her that I love her more times than I can count, just so she doesn't forget it.

"How are you doing?" I ask her while she sits on the bed. She fakes a smile then raises her head to me. She looks like she is in so much pain and I wish I could just take it away. Take it away and put it into myself. I would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant I was sad, even if it meant I was in pain. I would give anything to make her smile.

"Honestly, not so great. I kind of just wish I could get away from everything." She says, standing up and walking over to the window where the sun has just started to rise. She always did like sunrises, and I liked watching sunrises with her. The way her eyes would light up, just at the sight of one. The early morning rays shining down on her beautiful olive skin, showing her pink, blushing cheeks.

"Would you like to accompany me for a walk, Miss. Gilbert?" I ask her without even thinking twice about it. She freezes for a moment then looks at me and shyly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We're back to this formal name calling, now, are we, Mr. Salvatore?" She says with a slight smile while walking over to the desk chair where a gray sweater hangs. She puts it on and turns back to me. And that's when it hits me at just how beautiful she is in the morning. She has a natural glow to her and a natural smile to go along with it. She doesn't need makeup because her skin in flawless and she's gorgeous without it. She has on a pair of dark jeans and a light brown belt. I look down and see her old Converse are on her feet and she has on a white tee-shirt with a burgundy top underneath. Her hair is straightened and it falls effortlessly over her shoulders.

"Are you ready, Stefan? Or do you want to stay in your own world over there? Oh, and it's cold, get a sweatshirt." She says to me walking out of Caroline's room and down the hall. I can't help but look at her ass as she walks towards the stairs then disappears out of my sight. I hurry up and head to my room to grab a jacket, I go downstairs and pass a smiling Caroline giving me two thumbs up, then out of the door into the chilly morning air. It's becoming fall and that means cold in Mystic Falls.

I look for Elena but don't find her right away. I look left and right then find her sitting on the ledge under the awning outside the door, the ledge where we had our first kiss on. I need to shake that thought from my head though, no romantic-Elena thoughts, at least not for a while. No, scratch that, I'll think of her whatever way I want, whenever I want to. Why? Because I am trying out this whole '_being selfish'_ thing.

"You ready to go?" I say walking up to her, she nods and she smiles back at me. I offer her my hand and she looks surprised but, of course, takes it. After she stands and gets both feet on the ground she moves to pull her hand away but I instantly tighten my grip and intertwine our fingers. Her body goes rigid and she looks down at our locked hands. She shifts her grip like she always used to do, then looks up at me through her thick eyelashes and smiles. I point to the side of the house where a trail leads and we begin walking.

After getting to the entrance of the wood I decide to start a conversation, and a much needed, important conversation. "You're holding it all in aren't you?" I ask her as we move deeper into the trees. She looks up at me with a quizzical look then back down to our connected hands.

"I don't understand." She tells me look straight forward and pointing to a clearing she wants to go to. I keep my mouth shut the rest of the way to the open space and see there is a small pond beside a field of grass. "Aren't you going to re-ask your question?" She talks to me while mindlessly walking through the tall grass over to a patch of lavender-colored flowers.

"Are you holding everything inside?" She looks back at me and shrugs, indicating she still doesn't know what I'm talking about. "The pain, Elena. The- the sadness, the fear, the guilt, the tears. I can see it in your eyes. You can't hide it from me and you know that. So tell me what's bothering you." I plead to her as she turns to face me and her eyes are already filled with tears.

"Do you know that I haven't once cried for Bonnie since she died. I didn't get to grieve or mourn her, I didn't get to miss my best friend, I didn't get to cry because I lost one of the most-important people in my life. Do you know _why_ I didn't get to do any of that? Because Damon wouldn't let me. He said he didn't want tears, he didn't want sadness, he didn't want mourning. All he wanted was a fun, care-free relationship. But you know what, Stefan, I want to cry. I want to cry, because I lost my parents, I lost Jenna, I lost Alaric, I became a vampire, which is something I never wanted to be and I lost myself, then I lost Jeremy for a while and went absolutely insane. _Then_ I lost Bonnie, and I lost you. And I haven't gotten to cry for you two yet. And I want to cry because I'm an idiot for letting you go. I want to cry because it's my fault that Bonnie's dead. I couldn't handle being a fucking vampire so she just had to help with the cure, and Silas, and bringing Jer back, and now she's dead. It all comes back to me. I kill everyone I love. My parents died because I had to get picked up, Jenna died because I brought all this stuff into her life, Alaric died trying to protecting me, Jeremy died looking for a cure, just to make me happy, Bonnie died, doing what she always did, being selfless. And even though you didn't die, it sure as hell feels like it. I miss you every single moment of every single day. I miss the way you would look me, and it would make my insides do flips. I miss the way you would hold my hand so gently, as if I was going to break. I miss the way you would kiss me, like you were never going to get to kiss me again. Most importantly, I miss the way you loved me. But, what did I do? I went and fucked it up like the idiot that I am. Because I can't do anything right. I'm a screw up." She finishes and at this point she is full on sobbing. Tears effortlessly flowing down her cheeks, the intake of shaky breaths, shaking beyond her control. I can't stand to see her like this. It makes me want to cry, seeing her in so much pain.

I walk over to her and take her in my arms and he legs instantly give out so I am holding her up. I sink down to the ground and I am sitting with my legs out straight, she is straddling me and holding onto my neck for dear life. Sobbing into my shoulder. I feel her tears soak my shirt and I tighten my grip around her waist.

"Shh, you're going to be okay. I promise… It's all going to be okay." I whisper in her ear as I run my fingers through her hair to try and calm her down.

Eventually this works because she stops crying and we sit there holding each other for longer than I can count. It feels good to have her in my arms and have her around my neck, with her fingers playing with the ends of my hair. I love feeling the slight curves of her sides under my palms and her torso pressed against mine. I feel her chest move up and down, indicating that she is breathing, and mine moves with hers, in sync, as always. We sit in silence, but it's completely comfortable.

She is the first to pull away and wipe her cheeks. She leans back, but stays sitting in my lap, and smiles at me. All she does is smile and shake her head. She then looks down at my hands and takes them in hers, holding them carefully.

"Thank you," She begins. "I really needed that. Just to let it all out, then have someone be there and hold me through it." She says rubbing circles over my hands. "And I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone but you." She looks up at me and stares right into my eyes, then averts her gaze to the pond behind us. She gets a mischievous smile on her face and hops off of my lap. "Want to go swimming?" She bits her lip.

"Elena, it's cold out here." I say as she starts to strip out of her sweatshirt, then moves to take her shirt off. "You could always keep me warm." She pulls the white fabric over her head, along with her tank top and reveals a black, lacy bra. I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry. Why am I so nervous? I have seen 'Naked Elena' more times than I can count. That's when I realize I'm not nervous, I'm just scared I won't be able to control myself. But who needs control? I'm doing this whole 'selfish' thing so why not go along with it.

By now she has her jeans off and is standing in a pair of matching black, lacy panties. "Why not?" I say as I discard my sweatshirt and V-neck underneath then step out of my jeans, leaving me in a pair of blue boxers. "Come here." I tell her and start to move towards where she is standing. But she starts to run away. She looks over her shoulder and throws me a shy smile, "Only if you can catch me." She says then starts to run towards the shore of the small pond.

I see her next to the water running and looking over both of her shoulders. Deciding to play a little trick on her, I use my vampire speed to run to the wooded area in front of her. I watch as she turns around and I can tell she's confused because she stops running and just stands there. Now is my turn, I slowly and carefully run up behind her and then wrap my arms around her waist and yell, "Got ya!" Then I twirl her around as she throws her head back and laughs.

"No!" She screams through her beautiful laugh. "Stefan, put me down!" She says more seriously. I do as she wishes, and she turns around to face me, with a wide smile on her face. "Come on, let's get in the water." She reminds me as she takes my hand in hers, locks our fingers together, and starts walking into the water.

Once we finally get deep enough, I can tell that she's treading water when my feet are planted firmly in the sand. "Let me help." I say as I grab her waist and pull her towards me. Her legs involuntarily wrap around my waist and my hands mold into her sides. Our faces are inches away and we're sharing the air in between us. "Better?" I whisper, my lips scraping hers as the words come out of my mouth.

She smiles and runs her hands through my wet hair, pushing it back and saying "Much." Then she laughs and pulls her body closer to mine. I instantly crack a smile and remove one of my hands from her waist and raise it up to her cheek, caressing the skin under her eye and bringing her cheeks to my lips and kissing them both.

"What was that for?" She asks me, her cheeks bright red from the blush attack.

"I like seeing you happy. You're beautiful smiling face, and your beautiful laugh. You should always be happy, because it makes me happy." I say pulling her closer and setting my hand on the small of her back. I start rubbing small circles on her skin and I see goose bumps start to take over her whole body. I look up at her face and smile towards her, glad to know that I still give her the chills. She smiles back but it instantly fades. "What's wrong?" I question her while looking straight into her chocolate brown orbs.

"I just… I really miss you. Like, _a lot._ And I know that you say you want to be with me and that you could never hate me, but you know what. You need to, then that would make you a normal person." She starts rambling on and I know she does that when she's nervous so I decide to start talking so she doesn't have to speak anymore.

"You know what though?" I ask and she shrugs, "I'm not normal. I became a vampire when I was seventeen and got my heart broken. I flew off the edge and became a killer, then got my life back on track because of a best friend that I never thought I would have. Then, at one hundred and sixty-two years old… I met a sixteen-year old girl named Elena Gilbert. And I regret none of it. I don't regret coming to this town, even though I said that I did before. I don't regret walking into that high school and bumping into you outside the men's restroom. I don't regret visiting the cemetery where I ran into you once again. I don't regret staying here after all the bad things happened, and yeah, that sounds really selfish. But most importantly, I do not, for one split second, regret falling in love with you." I finish with a smile that I can't seem to wipe of my face, and she reciprocates the same smile towards me. And it spreads to her eyes, making them shine and glisten. I can see her sneak glances down at my lips through her smiling face and I know exactly what she's thinking… Because I'm thinking the same exact thing.

"Will you please kiss me now?" She asks shyly, still sporting her smile, and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. She licks her lips, then looks back up at me. I'm still smiling and I can't wipe this grin off of my face, no matter how hard I try. So I don't, I stop trying I love smiling and I love it even more that it's her making me smile.

"I though you'd never ask." I whisper moving my lips closer to hers and finally pressing mine against her. And it feels like a relief. After, more months than I can count, going without kissing her, I feel amazing. I feel like I can trust her with everything. I can give her my all. I feel like I can love her forever.

And that is exactly what I plan on doing.

* * *

**A/N:**

**So what did you guys think of this? I just really need some Stelena, so I am sorry if you don't want them to move so fast. In this chapter, Stefan did what Stefan always does and what comes to him naturally. He helps people, he comforts them when they are in need.**

**Leave your, always appreciated, reviews please!**

**Crap, this is getting long again.**

**Well I'll finish with saying this…**

**Don't you want a Stefan of your own?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi there! No one understands how terribly sorry I am for not updating any of my stories for such a long time! School started and I'm busy. For once I actually wrote a whole chapter in only 9 hours and not 5 or 6 days. You should be proud! Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer! My greatest apologies for any mistakes.**

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

Walking back to the boarding house, I just can't seem to keep my hands off of her. I love the way she feels. The curve of her waist, the soft skin of her arm, and her lips… _Damn, those lips._ We would walk a few feet and my body would become hungry for contact so I'd slip an innocent arm around her waist, she would look up at me with her chocolate brown eyes and a wide smile showing her perfect straight teeth and I would just have to kiss her. I couldn't help it. I can't count how many times I laid small pecks on her lips in the twenty minutes it took us to get back to the house.

Occasionally I would start to tickle her sides and she would run away from me, engaging in a game of cat and mouse. I would catch up to her and slip my hands around her waist then twirl us around until her laughter filled my ears to the maximum capacity. It wasn't long, though, until I needed to hear her angelic laugh again. I stop our movement and step in front of her, my back facing her front. "What?" She questions. So I hold my arms out towards her and nod my head. "Hop on." I say through a smile. Slowly, a smile creeps on her face and she jumps on my back. I set my hands under her thighs and tell her to hold on.

I use my vampire speed to get us the rest of the way out of the forest and by the time we are in the yard of the boarding house, Elena is doubling over in fits of laughter. She holds her stomach and falls on the ground. Her laughter dies down and I hold a hand out to her, intending to help her up. She wraps her swift fingers around my hand and tugs, pulling me down on top of her. I land on my forearms, making sure not to put all my weight on her. Looking straight into my eyes she releases an airy laugh then moves her look to my lips and becomes serious. I save her the trouble of over-thinking this, knowing that people could be watching us from the house windows, and press my lips to her soft, pink ones. Above us a rolling thunder approaches and unexpected rain comes pouring down, but neither of us notice. I'm too lost in her and she is too lost in me to even care about the hard rain pelting us.

Our lips are weaving in and out of each other when a loud crack of thunder rumbles, causing me to open my eyes and see a flash of crazy lightning across the sky. Looking down at my beautiful woman, yes _my beautiful woman_, I flash her a smile then start to stand up. I grab her arms and pull her up next to me then throw her on my back. I hear her laugh as I start to run towards the front door of the boarding house. I smile through the rain and finally arrive under the awning. I set her on her feet and push the big wooden door open. We get inside and she shakes out her wet hair and laughs. There is a warm smile on my face when she throws her hair over her shoulders and looks back at me. "What?" She asks me through a laugh.

"You're just… So beautiful." I whisper. She dips her head and I see her cheeks start to turn pink. "Aww, come here." I say and she walks over to me. I put my hands around her waist and intertwine my fingers behind her back, her arms go over my shoulders and I set my forehead against hers. "After all this time you still blush when I compliment you?" I ask her through a wide smile and she nods, trying to hide her smile. I feel her shake and realize how cold our clothes are from the rain. I remove my hands from her waist and take her hand in mine, pulling her towards the staircase. We arrive in my room and I grab us both towels. "Do you want to hop in the shower real quick? It'll warm you up." I ask her, turning back to face her. Once she comes into vision my voice instantly gets caught in my throat. I let out a forced cough and try not to look at her already naked body.

"Will you come with me?" She asks sweetly, innocent, not realizing how seductive she is. Sauntering towards me with her puppy dog eyes, I barely notice when her hand lands on my chest. I am too engrossed with the love in her eyes to pay attention to any other part of her. At least I think it's love. I have looked at her this way many times before and I imagine that this is what I look like, a look full of caring and love and wonder. "Please." She whisper, her lips just centimeters from mine. Her hands slide down to the hem of my wet shirt and start pulling it up my body and over my head. Her lips instantly land on my chest and I take a sharp inhale of breath. I set my hands on her cheeks and pull her face up to mine.

"Anything for you." I reply, and she's towing me off towards the bathroom. Instead of heading towards the shower at the back of the bathroom she stops right in front of the bathtub, her hand already on the faucet and turning on the hot water. "I thought we were hopping in the shower." I point towards the glass doors to the left of us. She takes one step to the sink and grabs a bottle of rose scented bubbles from the cabinet and dumps half the bottle in the already half-full tub. She walks back to me and goes to work on my belt buckle, then slips my jeans down my legs. I step out of them and she throws them across the room.

"I want to feel close to you." She says before pulling my boxers down to my ankles and allowing me to step out of them. I don't mind being naked in front of Elena, why would I? We have seen each other completely nude before and might I say… She has the most amazing body I have ever seen on a woman. Maybe I'm biased, but I think it's the truth.

She stands back up flashes me her award-winning smile. "So how are we going to do this?" She asks me and I raise an eyebrow. "Chest-to-back or me on one end and you on the other?" She asks pulling her hair up into a messy bun.

"The second one." I tell her then hold out my hand and allow her to get in first. She elegantly steps into the bubble bathwater and heads to the end without the faucet. I turn off the water, turn the faucet head to the side so it doesn't hit my head, and step into the water. Once I get settled I see Elena looking at me with a vacant look in her eyes. I scoot a little closer to her so her legs are sitting over mine. "Elena?" I say quietly and she jumps like I've startled her. "What's wrong, baby?" I ask her with a concerned look. She searches the warm water for my hand and it doesn't take me long to find hers and lock our fingers together.

"I was just thinking about something." She states vaguely. I raise my eyebrows, asking her to tell me more. "I was just thinking about the pain that you must have gone through down there. Surrounded by water, having it forced into your lungs over and over again. The darkness, the loneliness. And it's all my fault. I should have known that wasn't you. _I should have known._" She repeats as if to herself, to convince herself that this was all actually her fault. "Elena…" I start, but she cuts me off.

"No, Stefan, don't try to make any of this okay. Don't try and tell me there was nothing I could have done, because there was! I could have saved you. You were all alone for months. No one to talk to, no one to hold…" She starts to raise her voice and that worries me because I don't want anyone to hear us.

"Sweetheart… I wasn't alone." I say and this causes her to become dead silent. Her look was full of questioning and she wanted answers. "I had you." I whispers and she lets out a sigh. "I had you every time I closed my eyes. Every time unconsciousness overtook me, you were right there, in my memories, waiting for me to come and meet you. I saw you and you're beautiful face every day. You're chestnut brown hair, you're chocolate brown eyes, that gorgeous smile, that perfect little pug nose. You were always with me, no matter what. And that made it all easier. Knowing I would get to see you when I fell asleep, it made me less frightened of going unconscious. You made me brave." I finish and our faces are only inches apart, my right hand is securely around her waist and my left is hanging onto her hand as tight as I can. Being afraid that if I let go, she would just fade away.

I see tears gather in her eyes and spill over her cheeks. She quickly lets go of my hand and wraps her arms around my neck. Hugging me with every ounce of strength that she has. Her body is wracking with sobs and I tighten my grip around her waist just a little more, to let her know that I am right here. I feel her lips pressing to my neck and I feel her tears running down my back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She keeps repeating to me over and over.

I take one of my hands and set it on the back of her head and turn my face to place a kiss on her temple. "It's okay, I promise. It's okay. I'm alright. I'm with you now, I'm alright." I repeatedly whisper in her ear. She needs to know that everything is going to be fine and none of what happened was her fault.

Eventually, her tears subsided and we just held each other. With her in my arms, I feel the safest. Nothing can hurt us. I hear my door open and before I know it Stella is entering the bathroom, head down, on her phone. "Hey Stefan, do you know where my-" And that's when she looks up. "HOLY SHIT!" She screams and I hiss at her to keep it down. She immediately covers her eyes and drops her phone on the floor. "Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn't know you- Um… I'm gonna leave now." She quickly gets out and spins to leave.

"Stella, wait!" I yell to her.

"For God's sake, Stefan, we really have to talk now?!" She yells angrily. Her hands still over her eyes she pops a hip and sticks out her leg, waiting for me to talk.

"It's just, don't tell anyone. Please." I plead to her.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Bye!" She says unconvincingly then walks out of the bathroom and my room. Then I hear the one thing that I most definitely did not want to hear, come out of her mouth, especially this loud. As soon as I hear my bedroom door shut, Stella yells, "CAROLINE!" And stumbles down the stairs from the third floor to the second.

* * *

**STELLA'S POINT OF VIEW**

"Caroline! Caroline! Caroline!" I keep screaming her name, running through the house like a crazy person. Up and down hallways, in and out of bedrooms. "Caroline! Caroline! Caroline! Caroline!" I repeat running down the staircase to the first floor. I land with a thud on the ground and run to the kitchen. "Caroline!" I scream, she's not there. I head to the library, "Caroline!" I scream, she's not there. I look in the last room, the living room, and yell her name one last time, "CAROLINE!" And she's there. "Oh my gosh, you would be in the last fucking room I check." I say through deep breaths.

"What the hell has you yelling my name a million fucking times for?!" She screams at me. I slowly walk over to her and stand in silence for a minute before I can't hold it anymore.

"It happened…" I whisper.

"What happened?" She asks me, having no clue what we're talking about.

"_It…_" I slowly say to her. Her face finally lights up and she stands up from the couch.

"Oh. My. God. IT HAPPENED!" She yells to no one in particular and we both release a high-pitched scream. Our legs are jumping up and down and we look like two teenagers who just got asked to prom by our crushes, but who cares?! Not us, obviously.

"You're not fucking with me right?" She asks quietly.

"Why would I joke about this?!" I tell her. Then put my finger to my lips and shush her. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone." I gingerly say.

"Um, I think he heard us. You know, with the screaming and all." She states, matter-of-factly. "Oh that reminds me…" She starts then starts talking to the ceiling? "Stefan! You got a letter! I didn't open it because I thought it would be rude!" She calls out to him and I hear a faint 'Alright, I'll be right down' from him. I focus my hearing on his room and hear the slosh of water around the tub as him and Elena step out. I hear Elena's small pitter-patter feet on the floor as, what I assume, Stefan chases her out of the bathroom. Then a loud laugh comes from Elena, which makes Stefan laugh. I can't help but smile at the two of them. I have never seen Stefan so happy than when he is with Elena. Even though I don't support his choice because that two-timing slut hurt him, he is happy, so that makes me happy.

"Stop eavesdropping." I hear Caroline whisper through a laugh. She sits back down on the couch and pats the spot next to her. "What were you thinking about?" She asks me, when my butt hits the cushion.

"How happy Stefan is with her. I've never seen him smile or laugh so much." I tell her.

"But…? I'm sensing a but." She pulls her knees up to her chest and sets her chin on them.

I let out a long sigh then continue, "I don't like his choice and I don't like Elena. Why go back to someone who has hurt you so much? Someone who has ripped your heart to shreds and set it on fire." I ask her, turning my focus to the burning fire behind Caroline.

"He loves her and she loves him." I turn my look back to her. "It's as simple as that. And I have never seen a love as strong as theirs. They've overcome everything that was thrown at them, supernatural or from the human world. I have never _ever_ seen two people fight for each other, the way Stefan and Elena have fought for one another. That's special. Even when all the odds are stacked against them, they have always stood together, no matter what. And you can't just throw that away." She finishes looking straight into my moss green eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you and your brother have the _exact_ same colored eyes?" She asks me and I crack a smile.

"Plenty of times." I say quietly, finding interest in my fingers and wrapping them around each other. "Thank you, Caroline. For telling me all that. I know how much they love each other. Anyone can feel it. I guess I just needed to understand it." I give her a smile and she pulls me into a long and strong hug.

She pulls back and gives me a dimple-filled smile, "I think we are going to be really great friends." She tells me and I release a laugh.

"Me too, Caroline… Me too." I reply, finally hearing Stefan and Elena coming down the stairs.

* * *

**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

_I love him. I love him more than the air I breathe, more than the blood that gives me life. I was meant to love Stefan Salvatore. Forever. And he was meant to love me. There's nothing more to it. We are meant to love each other until the end of time._

I was so embarrassed to hear Caroline and Stella squealing about Stefan and I that I buried my face in the crook between Stefan's neck and shoulder. He pulled my face up to meet his and said everything was fine. He laid a small peck on my lips and we heard Caroline calling him down. Slowly, but surely, we got out of the bath and drained the water. My clothes were still wet and I didn't want to go into Damon's room to grab new ones, so Stefan lent me one of his shirts that happened to be my favorite. I slipped it over my head and held the neckline to my nose, inhaling his musky scent that brings me comfort.

No one knew it, but whenever I missed Stefan so badly, I would sneak up into his room when everyone was asleep and lay on his bed just to smell his pillow. The one he would use when I would stay over. It calmed my nerves and made me feel better. But of course I would have to go back to his brother's bed. I never wanted to. Sure I "chose" Damon, but I don't even know why. When I try to think of that moment I always blank. Deep down on that night, I knew I wanted to be with Stefan but the words wouldn't come out. I want to know what's wrong with me. I think one thing, but say another. I try do something, but end up doing something completely different. I have been killing and compelling for the last three months and that's not me. That is _not _Elena Gilbert and I don't want to be like that anymore.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Stefan's hand attaching to mine and his smiling face looking back at me. We leave his room and walk down the stairs to the two girls screaming about the two of us.

We step into the living room and are instantly greeted with two sly smiles from Stefan's best friend and sister. Little chuckles are released when their look moves down to our intertwined hands. My cheeks become red and I know Stefan noticed when he lifts my hand up to his lips and lays a small kiss on the back of my hand. "Everything's fine." He whispers so quietly that even I barely hear him.

"You said I had a letter." He looks at Caroline and she nods then points to the table in front of her. Stefan lets go of my hand and grabs the letter then sits on the couch. I go and sit as close to him as I can.

"Who's it from?" I hear Stella ask. But my eyes don't leave Stefan's face, I know the look that's on it. And that look isn't good. My stomach starts churning and I don't feel well. Something isn't right.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I whisper in his ear, wrapping my arm around his bicep.

"It's from Silas." He says.

My stomach jumps to my throat. This can't be good.

"Read it!" Caroline demands. Stefan slowly opens the ivory colored envelope and pulls out a piece of matching paper. I see Stefan take a deep breath and then he begins to read.

"_My dear doppleganger,_

_I see that you have all your welcomes, some warm and some not, out of the way. But please do not get too comfortable. Why is that, I say? Because I _am _going to kill you." _I inhale a hard amount of air and my eyes fill with tears. "_You see, these witches that I have been working with say that with both you and I in the world, there is a great unbalance. Both of us cannot live. There is no way for it to be done. So either you, or I, have to die… I choose you." _I try to keep my quivering lip under control while he continues. "_I have given you until the next full moon to say your goodbyes. That is in twenty-two days, which is far too much time, in my opinion, but the witches have convinced me otherwise. With this option there comes a price... One by one, I will kill everyone that you know and love. There is another choice though, if you turn yourself in by tomorrow at midnight, I won't kill everyone you care about. You might as well not even try to think of a plan to live. Because you're death is already set in stone. _

_So long…_

_Silas."_

He finishes and I can't keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks. Everyone sits in silence. Switching their looks from me to Stefan. My eyes never once waver from his face. I don't know how much time has passed before Stella says the first word, "Stefan…" She cautiously starts. He holds a hand up to tell her to be quiet while he has a staring contest with the letter in his hand. He throws the piece of paper on the table in front of him and walks towards the burning fire. He runs his hands through his hair as if deciding what to do. Can't he see the obvious choice? We need to find a way out of this.

"Stefan, you can't really be considering just giving yourself over to him." Caroline says looking at his back.

I sit in silence because I can't make a clear thought pop into my head, let alone speak words. This cannot be happening again. They can't take away my Stefan. He's _mine_. No one else's. I need him. I need him more than anything. If I lost him, once more, I don't know what would become of me. Would I speak? Would I sleep? Would I eat? No, I would do none of those things. I wouldn't leave my room. I wouldn't be able to function. It's one thing having Stefan ripped away from me, knowing he's alive. But taking him away from me then killing him. I wouldn't be able to make it past that. I would be overcome with grief. Stefan keeps my world spinning. With no Stefan, there was no world. With no Stefan Salvatore, there was no Elena Gilbert.

"No…" I whisper so quietly I don't even hear myself. But as soon as the word leaves my mouth everyone's eyes are on me. I was so lost in my own head that I didn't realize that Rebekah, Matt, and Damon had entered the room. "No." I say a little louder, finding my voice and tears along with it. "No, no, no, no, no." I take a deep breath and feel the tears spill over my cheeks. "They… are _not _taking you away from me again." I stand up and try to walk to Stefan but my legs give out and the sobs start overtaking my body. I see a body move towards me out of the corner of my eye, probably Damon, but I feel a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist. "They can't take you. I just got you back. I can't lose you again. I won't be able to make it. Please don't let them take you from me." I mumble on and on for what seems like forever. All throughout my breakdown I don't hear one word leave Stefan's mouth. I somehow moved onto his lap and he's holding me like a baby. My eyes are focused on the flicker of the fire. My mind is blank and I don't notice when Stefan sets me on the couch in the study and leaves me with his brother.

* * *

_Why is he leaving me with him?_ I slowly sit up and look at Damon through my peripheral. "Why are you here?" I ask him quietly, staring straight ahead.

"I just wanted to talk to you." He says. Before I can put a word in he continues, "Elena, I am so sorry for everything I did to you. I'm sorry for what I put you through, I'm sorry for making all of your friends hate you, I'm sorry for—," I cut him off.

"Ruining your own brothers life? Ruining my relationship with him? Killing my brother? Abusing Caroline? Abusing Vicky? Harassing Bonnie? Are you sorry for any of that?" I snap at him.

"Yes, I'm sorry for all of it." I don't know why, but I believe him. "I want you to know that I _do _love you. I love you more than I have loved anyone in my life. When I kiss you, I feel fireworks. When I touch you…" He sets his hand on my arm and I don't flinch away. "A fire ignites in my body." He finishes and moves from the lounge chair to the couch that I am sitting on.

'You want to kiss him, Elena.' A voice in the back of my mind says.

_No I do not._ I scream back at her

'You know he is telling the truth, Elena. Look in those piercing blue eyes and tell me he's lying, Elena. Do it!' She yells at me.

_No, he's lying. He's always lying. I love Stefan. I don't love Damon! _I try to yell back at her but it's no use.

I am in a soundproof room and she's overtaking my body. I move my face closer to Damon's and he has a smirk on his lips. He is leaning towards me and I can't do anything about it. It's like I'm the real me in my head but someone else is controlling my body.

_Please stop! Please, I don't want to do this._ I plead with every ounce of strength that I have but nothing works and his lips are pressed against mine. My hands find the sides of his face and deepen the kiss.

_Stop! I want to stop! _Why can't I stop?!

He pulls my body a little closer to his and that's when I hear a crash near the door. I instantly pull back and have control over my body again. She is gone, the person telling me to do something I don't want to do. I look at the broken mug on the floor and notice the feet behind it. I take as much time as I can to move my look up his body. I know who it is. I knew who it was the moment the kiss was broken. My eyes finally meet his and he has pure hate, anger, and sadness all over his face.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." He says before turning on his heels and walking out of the room. This is not happening again. It can't be. I stand up to go after him but feel a hand wrap around my wrist.

"Leave him, Elena." He says in a calm voice.

"SHUT UP! Just _shut up_! You ruin _everything_. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" I scream at him, yanking my arm away and running after Stefan. I can see him lay back with a smug smirk on his face out of the corner of my eye when I leave the room.

I run into the living room with four pairs of eyes on me. Rebekah and Matt sitting on the couch, Caroline standing by the fire and Stella by the front door. The damn tears sting my eyes again and I look to Caroline, "Where is he?" I ask with a desperate voice. Her eyes flicker towards the front door and I turn to see Stella guarding it. I run up to her and ask to leave.

"No." She says firmly.

"Please, Stella. I'm begging you. I have to talk to him. What just happened… it wasn't… me. Please, Stella. I need to talk to him. I need to see him. Please." I beg her. I will get on my knees if I have to.

"I. Said. No." She states, just as firm as the first time.

"Stella… Please." I whisper, tears streaming down my face once again.

"Stella." I hear Caroline say from across the room. It takes Stella at least five minutes to respond, but to do so she opens the heavy door and tells me that I have three minutes to talk to him. I rush outside and turn my head from side to side until I see a small figure at the beginning of the driveway. I run towards him and stop just before I reach him. He starts to get up and walk the opposite way down the street.

"Stefan." I start but am surprised when he abruptly turns around and greets me with an ice cold look.

"I do not want to hear anything from you!" He roars at me, and I cower. I have never seen him like this.

"Stefan, please. You have to listen to me. I don't know what happened in there. Someone overtook my body, I didn't want to do any of that! I promise you." I explain running in front of me so he has to look me in the eye.

"I don't believe you. How could we go through what we did today and you still kissed him. You made me believe that we were actually in this for good. You can't just go around switching brothers whenever the hell you want, Elena! It's not fair! I DON'T FUCKING GET YOU. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?! I don't want to stick around to see you with him. I'm just so fucking confused. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's happening." He finally gives up and stops walking.

"Stefan, listen to me. Since that night that I chose Damon, something has been wrong with me. I am _never_ able to be mad at him. I am _always_ supposed to forgive him. I am _always_ supposed to be in love with him, and stay with him, no matter what! I don't even know why! I don't know what is wrong with me! I don't want to be with him! I want to be with you! You and everyone else knows that, too! I don't even know why I chose him! I barely remember it! It feels like someone forced me to pick him against my own will. Like I was compelled! I try to figure out my reasons for choosing him and I hit a black wall where I can't find any fucking answers!" I scream at him and stop trying to force the tears back.

He looks straight at me with those big green eyes and slowly walks towards me. I feel his hands cupping my cheeks and my arms move around his waist. I let out a sigh of relief when his lips come centimeters from mine. "Oh, Elena…" He starts, rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks. I close my eyes and feel comfort because everything is okay. "That is," He continues, while moving his hands down to my jaw. Our lips so close that they touch when he speaks, "The biggest piece of bullshit that I have ever heard." My eyes fly open and his hands drop to his sides. He walks straight pass me and down the road heading towards town. I have a horrified look on my face when I turn around and watch him walking away from me.

"Stefan!" I yell after him. "Stefan!" My voice becomes quieter and a lump forms in my throat. "Please…" I quietly beg him, knowing he can still hear me. I drop to my knees and hold my stomach, feeling like my soul is being ripped out of my own body. Then I cry. I cry harder than I have ever cried before. This shouldn't even be called crying. It's sobbing. Wracking sobs filling my every cell.

I lay there for a short amount of time before a pair of arms wrap around me. One under my knee and one around my waist. I look up at the guy carrying me and see his dirty blonde hair, those big blue eyes, and scar above his lips.

Matt walks us back to the house then sets me on the couch next to Caroline. The only people there are Stella and Caroline. Rebekah must be upstairs because that is where Matt heads when he hands me off to Caroline.

"Are you okay?" Caroline whispers to me. I shake my head no and just stare at the floor. I don't want to feel anything. All I want is Stefan's strong arms around me and him saying he loves me. But I know I'll never get that. I blew my own chances.

"I heard what you said to him." Stella jumps into the conversation. "And I know what's wrong with you."

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think?! I kind of snuck a little '**_**The Host' **_**book stuff in there. Questions will be answered next chapter. Stella and Caroline had a bit of a fangirling moment there. ;)**

**Reviews are GREATLY appreciated, so please leave them!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the absence from this story and the shortness of this chapter. But on the bright side, you get two updates in two days! Aren't y'all lucky?**

**I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, but do claim ownership of the character, Stella.**

* * *

**STELLA'S POINT OF VIEW**

"A LOVE SPELL?! Are you kidding me?" Caroline screeches out and I swear the windows in the living room almost shatter.

After I told both of them what was wrong, Caroline has been pacing back and forth and Elena has been sitting in one position on the couch, not moving a muscle.

I had no clue what was wrong with Elena when I came back to Mystic Falls to save my brother. Then things started happening and I eventually caught on. At first she was "happy" with Damon, then came the polar opposite and she hated him, and finally with what just happened before Stefan left… It just clicked in my brain.

"I'm telling the truth." I say calmly, not finding much interest in explaining, but I know Caroline will want to know every detail.

"I have dealt with vampires, werewolves, hybrids, and witches; but a love spell? This type of magic is just too cliché, for me." She whines and sits down next to Elena.

"Love spells are actually very ancient and sacred things when it comes to witches; the stronger the witch the stronger the love spell. In Salem, before the turn of the century, around the 1490's, there were people called Leader Witches. There would actually be evaluations to find out who was the strongest in the colony. If you could cast the strongest spell, which was turning humans to vampires with no death involved, you were considered the Leader Witch. Leader Witch's controlled everything: people, magic, land, anything you can think of… They controlled it." I move to couch opposite of the one where Caroline and Elena are sitting.

"What does any of this have to do with a love spell?" Caroline asks quietly.

"It will all make sense, I promise. Just let me finish." She nods and I go back to my story telling. "Around 1495, the rules to becoming a Leader Witch changed. An unimportant witch, known as a peasant in her colony, she created such a strong spell that no one could think of a reason as to why she should _not_ be head witch. That spell was no other than a love spell. She was just a small little sixteen-year old girl and people thought they could overthrow her. Little did they know, she held back on her magic quite a bit, they thought she was weak, stupid and naïve. When in reality she was stronger than any of them, even stronger than some of them combined." I shift so I am leaning on the chair of the couch and pull my leg up underneath my body and continue.

"She didn't like pain… or death. So she did the thing that would make all of them her little bitches." I say and I get a chuckle out of Caroline. Elena still sits with her knees pulled to her chest and a blank look on her face. "She cast the love spell on each and every one of them." Caroline adopts a confused face on her look and leans forward a bit, becoming very interested with this story.

"How can loving someone be bad?" She asks with a certain seriousness to her voice but as silence engulfs us, she slowly lets a smile form on her lips. I quickly dip into her mind, knowing I shouldn't, and look for something that could make her smile like this. It doesn't take long to find it, hell it's practically written on her forehead. Two words in big black letters: _Niklaus Mikaelson_

I chuckle to myself and she raises and eyebrow at me. I quickly remember she asked a question and I need to answer it.

"A love spell in reality is very different than love spells in movies and books, Caroline. It's not some glowing, pink liquid in a glass vial. Love spells are actually a very dark and dangerous thing. When the witch created it, she was seeking power; power over people, other witches, natures balance. So instead of just casting a spell on people and then they fall in love, she made sure she had them on strings like little puppets. Whomever she cast the spell on… she would control. She would control what they did, what they said, who they said it to. She controlled every aspect of them at any given time. When a spell was cast, the person really believed they were in love, every second of every day, but they never did anything about it. They went along, loving the person who had the spell cast upon them. The person she cast it on, it was like there were two people living in their head, but only when she wanted that second person to be there. And that second person was her. Whenever she took control of a person, she controlled all of them… movement, speech, and the real person would be locked away in the back of their own mind. They could yell and shout all they wanted but it wouldn't get past the padlock bolted on the cage they were trapped in." I pause a little to make sure Caroline is still with me, and understanding all of this nonsense coming out of my mouth. She nods and I take that as a sign that I can keep talking.

"After news got out about this new… procedure to have someone fall in love with you, people came from all around, near and far, to see the great witch who created it; they all eventually ended up asking if she could cast it on someone for them. So you see it just doesn't happen to random people by chance. It's not like she was cupid. She was a witch, a very dangerous witch. They would ask, and she would oblige. Most of them were peasants, men and women, who were lonely, desperate and stupid. They never knew the details of a love spell and the consequences that came with it." Deciding to provide an example I take more time in explaining this than I would have liked.

"In one case there was a man, William, around his 30s who secretly loved a very beautiful woman. He went to the witch, giving her everything he owned, just for this love spell. She agreed and by the time he got back to his village, the woman was waiting for him outside of his home. They were happy for a very long time. You never saw one without the other. By the time they both were 40 they had had two children. Two beautiful little boys, I believe their names were Bae and Tucker, very odd names if you ask me, but the only thing that mattered was that they loved each other. A few years later, very far away, the witch was in a fit of rage. She came home one day wanting to ruin someone, she always made her customers sign contracts; if the contract was distorted in any way… the love spell broke. She went to a large drawer taking up half of her desk and pulled out a random. She vividly remembered this man, how he almost gave her the clothes on his back just for this spell. The name on the parchment was William, and she didn't think twice when she ripped that contract in half." I look up to see a sad expression of Caroline's face and try to wrap the story up as fast as I can. "The woman left him. Left him and her two boys without blinking an eye. She didn't know why she was there, why those little children were calling her mother. So she ran, ending up marrying a soldier. Even though she left, that man took care of those kids as best as he could; because he loved them, and he loved her. Still, even after she broke his heart, he told his children many stories about their mother. How she was the best thing that had ever happened to him." I finish with a small smile and watch Caroline stand from the couch.

"So how do you break it?" She asks curiously, sitting down so close to me I can hardly breathe.

"Well you heard that the spell was broken by destruction of a contract. So it's bound with a physical object, it doesn't specifically have to be a contract though. Not sneaking a liquid into something they drink, or just a bunch of words with magical meaning behind them. Sure a spoken spell plays a huge part in casting the spell but a physical object is what keeps the spell going." I explain to her and she nods, obviously understanding every word.

"How do you know so much about this?" Caroline asks, back on her feet pacing around the coffee table.

Should I tell her? Probably not, but if they find out the truth without me telling them, they'll get angry at me. Why am I even saying _they? _I don't even know if Elena has listened to anything that I'm saying. She looks like a zombie, I mean I don't blame her. I would too, if your current… Never mind. All that is too confusing and too hard to explain.

"It's basic witch folklore. We're practically forced to know it." I say laughing a little, filling my mind and mouth with other facts.

"What about the witch? The one who created it." She blurts out and I feel my stomach rise to my throat. Oh God, she knows. How could she figure out so quickly?! Oh yeah, she's Caroline, pretty and feisty on the outside but a brilliant genius on the inside.

"What about her?" The words crawl up my dry throat and she whips around to look at me.

"Is she still alive? Where is she? _Who_ is she? Maybe she can help; break the spell somehow?" She rambles off ideas.

_Okay, Stella. Just tell her. It can't be that bad. Maybe she'll be mad at you, maybe she'll be glad that she can get so many answers at her beck and call. For the first time in… well since I got here, I wish Elena was talking and being responsive so if Caroline tries to gauge my eyes out, Elena could get her off of me. I know I could just fling her off of me but Caroline and I are becoming friends, and I don't fling friends. Stella, stop fucking thinking and just tell her._

"The witch…" I begin and Caroline nods at me expectantly. "Is sitting right in front of you." I hear her draw in a sharp breath.

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

_I don't know why I ever let her back in my heart._

_Why I ever opened up again. I knew this was coming. I just knew it. It always happens. It always happens to me. Why? Am I never enough for her? I give her everything, grant her wishes, more importantly I just handed my heart over to her without giving it a second thought. But that's what you do when you're in love. No, that's what you don't do when you're in love: you don't think. You just… do. _

_I really need to start thinking. I need to focus on something and not let her big, chocolate brown eyes sneak into my mind and fill my every thought. I can't let her laugh into my ears because then that's all I will want to hear. I won't listen to anything else; everything will be slurring nonsense until that clear-as-day laugh leaves her mouth. Oh, her smile, I can't let the image of that get into my head because I'll remember the _old _us. Her smile was the first thing that made me love her. I don't even think I knew I loved her then, but my heart did. The first time she smiled at me I swear I was in heaven, I swear that she took every ounce of pain away, just with the curve of her lips. _

_But none of that matters now. She betrayed me yet again and I don't know if I can forgive her this time. Hell, I shouldn't have forgiven her the last time… or the time before that. What can I say, though? I'm the definition of stupid decisions when it comes to being in love._

_I don't want to see her again. I know I will, but I don't want to. Maybe I can convince her that I have fallen out of love with her. It shouldn't be that hard. She probably already thinks I hate her so maybe I just keep the "douche" act up. _

_I'll have to physically force myself not to go near her when we're in the same room. Not to wrap her up in my arms and tell her I love her. Tell her that I want to be with her forever. But I cant, because she made her choice again. Godammit, why did she kiss him? Is that her way of showing forgiveness? Well, if so, it's a real shitty way._

I've been sitting at a table at The Grille for what seems like forever. I compelled my waitress to keep my scotch coming and to not let me have an empty glass sitting in front of me until I say so.

I figure about ten glasses is enough, so I throw a hundred dollar bill on the table and walk out of the building. I turn to my right and head down an alley that is a shortcut to a small inn on the outskirts of town.

I'm halfway into the darkness when I hear a shuffling behind me. I twist and scan my eyes over the alley and don't see a thing, so I turn back around and begin walking again. I hear the sound and start to spin again but don't fully complete the motion because something sharp is stabbed in my neck.

The alley is getting darker. Is it the sky or in my own head? My vision starts to blur and everything goes black. That was definitely not the sky.

* * *

**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

_I've been listening to everything, it's just nothing catches my attention. Not when Stefan is on my mind. It's only when Stella says something that makes my head pop out of its previous position._

"You did this to me?" I say to her and my words are oozing with hate. I start to stand up and am ready to pounce on a 500-year old witch-vampire. I don't care if she's stronger. I'm angrier and I feel like punching someone.

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, sweetheart. I didn't do this. Why on Earth would I do this?" She asks me, her voice raising with every word.

"Because you're an evil, sadistic…" I start but Caroline interrupts me.

"Elena!" Caroline warns.

"Bitch!" I yell at her.

"I'm just trying to help! I've told you all about what you need to know and you treat me like this?! Do you even want my help?" She yells at me.

"I do!" Caroline cuts in. "Can you please fix her, Stella?" She says to her.

"No, I can't." Stella replies nonchalantly. Easing back into her place on the couch.

"What do you mean 'no?'" I spit out at her.

Why the hell can't she fix me?! I just want to be fixed. I want to be normal again. I want to be the old Elena whom everyone loved. I don't want to be this bitch that I've become. I want to have sleepovers with Caroline and Bonnie; I want school to be the most important thing in my life. The one thing I want the most though… Is to be with Stefan.

I want to open the front door of my house and see him standing there with a bouquet of flowers. I want to be standing in front of my locker and feel a pair of strong hands cover my eyes and tell me to guess who it is. I want to be walking out to my car after a long day at school and feel a hand grab mine and intertwine our fingers.

_I want to be human._

But she can't do anything about that. _No one_ can do anything about that. And this situation has nothing to do with that.

"Elena! Are you even listening to her?" Caroline squeaks at me.

"No, please repeat." I say quietly, avoiding eye contact with either of them. Stella scoffs and starts over.

"_I was saying: _I can't break it. Witches have certain bonds with the spells that they cast and they are the only ones who can undo it. Plus we don't even know what object it could be. We don't even know if it's here. The witch could be keeping it with her." She explains to us.

"How do we even know it's a her? Couldn't it be a man?" I question her.

"No. Witches are the only ones who cast love spells. Warlocks aren't able to." She tells us.

"Why not?" Caroline asks and I go back to not caring about it. Even though this is all very interesting, I just want to break this spell. _Wow, never thought I'd say that in real life._

"That has nothing to do with what we are talking about, Caroline. Can we focus on Elena?" She says and Caroline nods yes. "Elena… I don't want to say this, but we obviously know who asked for the spell to be cast. So, has Damon given you anything lately?" She asks turning all her attention to me.

_Pft- what hasn't he given me? There was that teacup he bought from an antique store, but it chipped while I was washing it. There was also that really soft blanket, but it ripped because it got caught on a chair. He bought me a diamond bracelet, but one of the diamonds fell out. He bought be a candle, not one of his best gifts, but the wax is all gone. There was that necklace, but the chain broke. _

While I'm thinking of every little thing Damon has ever gotten me I start to spin my daylight ring that now is on my right index finger. I never wear my daylight ring on my ring finger where Stefan put it. And that's exactly the reason: where _Stefan _put it, not Damon. I move my look down to my ring and I feel like a ton of bricks have hit me. How could I have been so stupid? Of course this was it, I mean… it has to be!

"My daylight ring." I whisper, barely audible. I stop spinning it and try to pull it off my finger but it won't budge. "It won't come off. Why won't it come off?!" I start panicking and pull harder.

"I thought Stefan gave you your daylight ring." Caroline asked me.

"He gave me my first one. I guess I lost it somehow. When I couldn't find it Damon said he would go to witch he knew that lived right outside of town. He said she could get me a new one." I explain, still yanking on my ring.

"I don't think you lost your ring, Elena. I have a feeling it's hidden from you." Stella informs me.

"Stella, get it off, please!" I beg her, tears starting to fill my eyes. I just want this damned thing off. I hate it, I hate everything about it.

"There must be a protection spell on it." She walks over and exams my ring. Holding her hand over it and closing her eyes, she makes me wait. "Definitely a protection spell. Nothing I can't handle." She takes my hand and places it under hers, closes her eyes, then starts chanting a spell I have definitely heard before. "_Fes matos tribum, nas ex veras, maquis dumisa rotenem!" _She finishes and slips the ring off of my finger with ease.

"I've heard that before!" I state. "But when Bonnie did it, she needed a full moon." I state.

"I'm a very powerful witch… I don't need a full moon for simple spells like that." She tells me with a smile. "Now let's go inspect this. Every witch leaves behind a signature or some kind of evidence." She says, already walking towards the stairs; Caroline follows her.

I get up from my seat on the couch and start walking towards them.

"Elena." I hear from behind me. I turn and see Damon standing in front of me. "Can we talk?" He says, pulling his eyebrows together.

I don't want to but something is pulling me towards him. Telling me to go to him. "Yeah… we can talk." I say, and follow him into the study.

* * *

**DAMON'S POINT OF VIEW**

_I deserve to be with her. Me, not my little brother. He's not even my real brother for God's sake, so what's the big deal with me being with Elena?_

_Yes! I asked the witch to cast the spell. She needs to be with me. I'm better for her. I'm dangerous and a bad boy and that's exactly what she needs, someone to live on the edge with. That's definitely not Stefan. _

_I don't know why this love spell is such a big deal. It's just an enchanted ring that I slip on Elena's finger and as long as it's not destroyed the spell continues and Elena loves me. It's still Elena in there, just bringing out the Elena that loves me. And I know _that_ Elena is in there. _That_ Elena is the real Elena._

"I know you hate me…" I start as she takes a seat on the leather chair in the middle of the room "Just let me explain. I love you, Elena. And I just want you to love me too. I've been so alone since I lost Katherine and I needed someone. I fell in love with you before any of the spell shit happened. I've been in love with you ever since that night on Wickery Bridge when your parents were coming to pick you up! You just couldn't know, I couldn't let you know. I wanted you to so bad. I wanted to hold you and kiss you, but I couldn't." I move closer to her and bend down on my knees so we are face to face. "Please believe me when I say that I love you more than anything in this world."

She nods and leans forward to press her lips against mine.

Damn, I'm a fantastic liar.

* * *

**ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW**

I feel my grip on reality leaving me once again. I listen to his words and I don't believe him, then I do, then I don't again. This can't be happening right now. I don't love Damon, not how he wants me to. I don't want to be with him. Nothing can make me forgive him for what he did to me; at least for now. I feel like I'm being trapped. It's happening again. She's coming. No she can't come now. Why is she even coming?! The ring is off me.

Stella's words ring in my head, "_destruction of a contract." _The word that sticks out to me is destruction. That ring needs to be destroyed. And now.

I'm back in the small cage in my own mind and she controls me now. I can already tell I don't want to do anything that I'm about to do.

Damon finishes his speech about loving me and I believe him, she thinks.

_No, no, no! I do not believe him! _I scream back at her.

She leans in to kiss him and tears fill my eyes. _Mine _not hers.

"I love you, Damon. I believe that what you did was for love, and I love you even more for that." She says, cracking a smile.

_No! I don't love him. He doesn't know what love is. Please stop saying this. _I shout at her with all my might, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"You love me?" He says with a hopeful tone.

_Oh, no. He doesn't know when the witch takes over and when I leave. He knows none of it. Well that's not my fault. Magic always comes with consequences. He should know that._ _I don't feel bad for him. I should, but I don't. Karma always comes around. _I think to myself.

"Of course I do, silly!" She says through a laugh! "And I want to show you right now." She says, standing up and pulling Damon out of the study and towards the staircase.

_What?! What are you talking about? _I scream at her. _ANSWER ME DAMMIT!_

We, and by we I mean Damon, my _body, _the witch who's controlling it and my own mind, get to Damon's bedroom door, she turns around to look at him.

She opens the door and pulls him inside. I flinch when I hear the door close behind us.

_Please stop! Please, I'm begging you! I don't want to do this! Why are you doing this? Please, please, please! I just want to go! Please stop! Get out! Just get out! _I'm sobbing and screaming and shouting and by the time I realize what's happening, I'm out of my clothes and Damon has me on the bed.

* * *

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

I wake up in an uncomfortable sitting position with my hands tied behind my back. I tilt my head forward and crack my neck, then move to sit up a little straighter. I'm in a cold, hard, rusty metal chair and nothing else is around. I turn my head from side to side, trying to get aware of my surroundings but can barely see anything. With only the light from the moon and a small, yellow light bulb at the other end of the room, the only thing I can observe is that we're in an old barn.

I focus my hearing as hard as I can and get silence. Maybe it's because I'm alone or maybe it's because there is vervain in my system. I turn my head both ways once again to see if anything occupies the room and the only thing I see is a medium-height, metal cart in the far corner of the room.

I look to the ceiling and see that it's missing, but only to be replaced with the beautiful sight of a clear night with a thousand stars in the sky.

I hear a door open behind me and I instantly tense. The footsteps are heavy and getting closer, I can't tell the distance between us until I feel a painful stab in my wrist and a burning sensation moving throughout my whole body. _More damn vervain._ I groan until the pain eases just a little and look back to see who is behind me. But they're not there.

"Don't worry, the dosage won't knock you out, it'll only make you weak." He says in a mocking tone. I know that voice, I've heard it before. I just can't place it.

I hear a loud screeching noise against the ground and assume he is pulling the cart towards me. When it comes into vision I see tools. I don't know what kind of tools, but they look painful. This can't be good.

He walks around my left and into the dim moonlight; I look up and let out a scoff. "Silas," I grunt, feeling the vervain course through new parts on my body.

"Long time, no see, Stefan." He says with a smirk on his face. "I see I have to take more forceful measures when it comes to getting rid of you. Starting with a more… _permanent _grave." He explains and lets out a sinister laugh while moving to the cart and picking up a metal stake.

He grabs a vial from the shelf underneath the first and sets in on the top shelf while removing the end of the stake. He opens the bottle of- _oh what do you know- _vervain, and empties it inside the stake. He puts the cap back on the end of the stake and walks in front of me.

"You like?" He asks, not expecting an answer. "I recently found this in a small town outside of Spain. After if penetrates the victim… It releases an un-Godly amount of vervain, bringing whoever is injected…" He pauses and gives a smile more evil than the Devil's himself. "…to the brink of death. Very painful." He finishes and takes a step towards me.

I take a gulp and try to struggle against my restraints but feel the rope start to burn my skin, obviously being soaked in vervain.

"Shall we begin?" He asks before shoving the stake directly into my gut.

* * *

**A/N: What does Silas want and why is he hurting my Steffy? And a love spell, you're probably thinking 'Oh lord, how cliché!' But I tried to make it as rational as possible. We'll figure out the identity of the witch in the next chapter and I have a feeling you'll be surprised. I also gave you an insight on Stella's past and her position of power.**

**Please leave your reviews as they are greatly appreciated.**


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